Let Me Be With You
by HystericalConfession
Summary: Rose is a high school senior that has to cope with oppressive parents and an abusive boyfriend-until she meets Jack, who gives her a taste of happiness and love. But will they be able to brave Cal's viciousness and stay together?
1. A Lonesome Beauty

**Hello everyone! :] This story is a modern day version of Jack and Rose's love story! I have a bit of everything in here—violence, romance, fairytale love—and I hope you all like it! Please review :]**

**Chapter One **

"God, you're _so _lucky, Rose! I wish I had a boyfriend that handsome!" A melancholy sigh escaped Miranda's ruby lips as she and Rose watched Rose's boyfriend Cal walk down the hall and turn into his chemistry classroom.

Rose offered no reply; instead she slung her Chanel bag over her shoulder and started down the hallway. Miranda hurriedly grabbed her own purse and scampered after her, nearly falling over herself and her hot pink stilettos. She caught up to Rose and followed her into their calculus classroom, taking a seat beside her so she could spend the next fifty minutes gossiping with her friend instead of paying attention to the teacher.

"Can I ask you something, um…_personal_?" Miranda twirled a lock of blonde hair around a manicured finger and studied Rose's face, hoping for a positive expression and not one of annoyance.

Rose met Miranda's gaze and shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

"Okay!" Miranda looked around cautiously at the other students trickling inside the room before leaning closer to Rose and lowering her voice to a barely audible whisper. "Is Cal good…in bed?"

Rose winced, but Miranda didn't notice. How was she supposed to respond to that? Tell her the truth—that she hated it, that she _despised _having sex with Cal—or pretend that she loved it like any other teenage girl?

A forced smile crossed Rose's face. "Yes."

Miranda squealed, receiving several weird looks from the students sitting around her, but she didn't see.

Rose rolled her eyes and groaned inwardly—why were high school girls so…_odd_?

O O O O

"I dunno, I mean, he's cute, _yeah, _but not cute enough to make out with."

"Really? I'd love to kiss him!"

The loud voices of her friends became a low buzzing noise in Rose's ears as she ignored them and focused her attention on her food: a school salad with dried-out carrots and old, withered lettuce. She forced herself to chew it and swallow it so she wouldn't be hungry during her last few classes; plus, it gave her something to do besides contribute to the mindless conversation her friends were having.

Every day it was the same thing—boys they thought were hot, what bikinis they wanted to wear in the summer, and makeup tips they read in magazines. Nothing new; nothing different. And none of them bothered to notice that Rose hadn't participated in their brainless chatter in months.

To her, that showed how much her "friends" cared about her. They obviously didn't think anything of her presence, or the fact that she never shared her opinion on anything. Occasionally they asked her to go shopping or how her dates with Cal were, but none of them were interested in music or art the way Rose was.

And Cal—Cal, he was something else.

And not in a good way.

Miranda, Elizabeth, and Anna swooned whenever Cal came up to talk to Rose and give her a kiss. In fact, nearly every girl in the hallways stared at Cal longingly, like he was a Greek god sent to Earth to make their dreams come true. As far as Rose was concerned, any one of them could have him.

But that wasn't the case. Rose couldn't get rid of him so easily.

She could only wish.


	2. Surprise in the Auditorium

**This chapter's a bit long – I hope y'all still enjoy it though!**

The bell rang, announcing the end of the school day. People all around Rose leapt to their feet, grabbing their purses and binders and backpacks, and rushing out of the classroom like it was on fire and they needed to escape to safety. Rose waited until everyone was gone, even her English teacher, before she began to shove her papers and Hamlet book into the designer backpack her mother had insisted on spending oodles of money on.

The redheaded beauty was in no rush to get home, because her parents were going to drag her to a dinner party her father's friend was throwing that night. The thought occurred to her that she could tell her mother that she had to stay late for school so she wouldn't have to attend the dinner with her parents.

Rose toyed with this in her mind for a few minutes as she trudged down the long hallway, not sure where her feet were leading her. She wasn't really the type to lie, but God, she had already been to two social events that week, and didn't see the reason to go to a third.

As she reached the entrance to the cafeteria, she stopped to pull out her Blackberry and send her mother a text.

**Mom – Staying after to study w/ Miranda & Elizabeth for biology test tomorrow. Be home this evening. – Rose**

She pressed _send _and a flame flickered in her heart, like she was a delinquent ditching class to smoke pot. Besides telling her mother this little lie, the worst thing Rose had ever done was throw a box of pencils at the back of a boy's head in second grade.

Rose laughed to herself at the memory, the first real smile on her face in what seemed like years. Ruth texted back with an "OK", and Rose knew she was pissed that her daughter wasn't going to be at the dinner, but Rose didn't really care.

The emptied school kind of scared her. The silence-the absence of the squealing girls and the booming laughs of guys-surrounded her like she was prey. Rose pushed this thought into the back of her mind and began to make her way to the auditorium, where she could settle into one of the hundreds of seats and read her favorite book, _A Tale of Two Cities, _in peace, without her mother's shrill voice carrying over the stairs and into her bedroom or her father yelling into the phone at an employee.

The auditorium doors closed with an eerie _clang _behind her. She blinked, surveying the enormous room. Dim bulbs gave it just enough light to find one's way around; the spotlights were off, making the stage look like a giant black mass; the silence seemed to be even louder in here, almost deafening Rose.

She swallowed the grumping lump in her throat and fought back her uneasiness as she set her backpack and purse on the floor, before sitting down in a seat and making herself as comfortable as possible. She propped her feet up on the chair in front of her; her lavender skirt fell into place in the middle of her thighs, but she didn't care. After all, no one was here to see it except her.

She retrieved _A Tale of Two Cities _and opened it to a random page to begin reading. She had read this book so many times since sixth grade that she could quotes full pages from it and know exactly what was going on if she flipped to any page.

Ten minutes passed. Rose's fear had just ebbed away when the shuffling of papers from a few yards ahead made her heart stop. Slowly raising her emerald eyes from her book, she scanned the area in front of her for a masked killer or the drama teacher. Finding nothing, she nervously returned to the paragraph she had been reading, hoping that the noise was just a figment of her imagination.

She scolded herself under her breath for being so silly. She was getting worked up for nothing!

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Rose gasped loudly and threw the book on the ground, jumping to her feet in preparation for a struggle with a murderer. A skinny guy with slicked-back blonde hair stared at her curiously, his crystal blue eyes glittering with slight amusement. He picked up his backpack from a chair, slinging it onto his shoulder, and tried his best to suppress a laugh.

"I'm sorry, did I frighten you?"

_"No!" _Rose's cheeks burned crimson in embarrassment. She swiped her book off of the floor and threw it into her open backpack. "I'm supposed to be here by myself, by the way!" She glared at the boy, her eyes smoldering.

He raised his hands defensively, a smile playing on his lips. "Sorry, miss."

"God!" She gathered her belongings and stomped out of the maze of seats and to the wide path of carpet, her gaze still glued on the guy. "What are you _doing _here?"

He fished a sketchpad out of his backpack and held it out in front of him for her to see. She stepped towards him, squinting at it. A sketching of a middle-aged man with a bushy mustache graced the paper, and Rose found herself amazed at how lifelike the drawing was.

"I'm Jack." The blonde boy put the sketchpad back into his backpack, and then stuck his hand out to Rose.

She blinked at it for a second before hesitantly gripping it.

Jack chuckled, his white teeth shining in the dimness of the auditorium. "This is my school too, you know. I have as much of a right to be here as you!"

Rose nodded curtly, frowning a bit.

"But I'm sorry, again, if I scared you."

"It's fine." Rose's voice was clipped and high-pitched; she almost hoped he didn't notice. Her mouth dropped open a bit in surprise when Jack yawned and stretched his arms over his head, revealing an Iron Maiden shirt underneath the blue jacket he was wearing.

"Iron Maiden?" Her instincts screamed at her to shut up; she was a _lady, _and ladies didn't listen to metal music or converse with boys lower than them, and they _especially _didn't admit to boys lower than them that they listened to metal music! But there was another voice in her head, a voice she usually tried to ignore, that egged her on. "Iron Maiden—I love them."

"Oh?" Jack studied the scarlet-haired girl in front of him—short skirt; bright pink lips; designer blouse and bag and shoes. He laughed and stared into her pretty face. "You don't seem like the type of person that would listen to a band like that."

Rose furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance. "You don't know me."

"Well, you're right." Jack suddenly tossed his backpack onto the carpet and took a seat in a chair on the last row. "Come sit with me and let me know you, then."

"What?"

"Come talk with me!"

Rose looked around the auditorium nervously, as if she was searching for someone to come save her from this "evil man."

But a part of her told her it was okay to sit with him.

And so she did, though she was a little uneasy about it. Jack smiled at her, a true, genuine smile, like he was happy she was with him. Her heart fluttered at the sight.

"What else do you listen to, Miss…?"

"Rose. Rose Dewitt-Bukater."

"Ha, I'll have to get you to write that one down." Another grin.

This time, Rose smiled back—and a real smile at that—before she answered his question. "Um, well, I like a lot of bands…Blink-182, Nirvana, Marilyn Manson, Avenged Sevenfold—" Her cheeks flushed pink again. "—Cannibal Corpse…"

Jack laughed heartily at the last one. "My God, I never would have guessed!"

Rose giggled with him, feeling herself warming up to this guy. "I know, huh? I'm nothing like the way I look, I suppose."

"So far, not really. But I guess you shouldn't judge a book by its cover then, hm?" He winked at her. "I love all those bands, too. You have a great taste."

Her thoughts drifted back to the drawing of the man Jack had sketched. "Do you like art, Jack?"

His blue eyes lit up with excitement. "I love it! It's my passion. Drawing, especially. I paint sometimes too, but it's nothing that great. Just drawing, mainly."

"I wish I was like that." Rose looked down at her crossed legs, depression beginning to eat at her. "I wish I could just sit and draw. My parents would lose their minds."

"Why?"

"Art's…not 'worth any value.' Or so my father says." A sigh tumbled from Rose's mouth, loud and heavy. "My parents never allowed me to try anything artistic. They wanted me to be smart and spend my time learning about business." She emphasized the last word with a deep voice, imitating her father, before she got to her feet and grabbed her bags. "I need to go. My mother's already going to be pissed at me for being so late."

Jack rose as well and walked with her out of the auditorium, out of the school, and into the parking lot. The orange sun was low in the cotton candy pink sky, and Rose was nervous about going home and facing her mother's anger.

She faced Jack and gave him a small smile. "I liked talking with you, actually."

He blushed slightly. "Me too, Rose. You're a neat girl. Nothing like the girls that you hang out with."

"You've seen me around school before?"

"Everyone has! You're a popular kid. Everyone knows your name."

Oh. Right. "Ah. Well…" Rose opened the door of her Ferrari and lowered herself into the driver's seat. "I'll…see you tomorrow, Jack." With one last smile, she closed the door, backed out of the parking lot, and drove home as the blonde boy watched her car speed down the road and then disappear around a corner.


	3. No!

_"Guys. _Oh my _God." _Anna slammed her tray of salad onto the table, her blue eyes wide and gleaming with excitement. _"Guess what?"_

Miranda and Elizabeth snapped to reality and threw down their compact mirrors, giving Anna their full attention. _"What?" _they shrieked in unison, so loud Rose winced.

"My sister got me tickets for Rihanna next week! _Rihanna!" _

The three girls screamed like they had won a billion dollars. Several students in the cafeteria turned in their seats to stare at them, their faces painted with annoyed expressions.

"Oh my God!"

"Oh my God, Anna, can we come?"

"Yeah, can we?"

Rose chewed her lettuce in silence, averting her eyes from her friends to the table of jocks behind them. Who the hell was _Rihanna?_

Anna finally calmed down and sat down right in Rose's line of vision, blocking the guys behind her. _"Yes!" _She locked eyes with Rose then and grinned stupidly. "Do you wanna come too, Rose?"

Rose held her gaze as she swallowed her food. An almost uncomfortable silence fell over the girls as they waited for Rose's answer. The fiery-haired beauty began gnawing on her bottom lip, struggling inside her mind to decide how to respond.

Normally, she would've said yes; she would've just gone along with her friends, following them blindly and ignoring the small voice in the back of her mind, like she did yesterday when Miranda asked about Cal's performance during sex.

But today, she felt different. Today, she didn't want to.

"No."

Miranda and Elizabeth turned to gape at Rose, while Anna looked a bit hurt.

_"What? _Why not?" Miranda tugged on the sleeve of Rose's green cardigan, begging for her attention. "I thought you liked Rihanna!"

She pulled her arm away from Miranda's grasp, and snorted—_very _unladylike. Her mother would have slapped her if she had been there to witness it.

Miranda thought she liked whoever that was? That showed yet again how much her friends actually paid attention to her.

The four girls ceased talking and ate their lunch quietly, not even making eye contact with one another. Rose pushed her tray to the side when she was finished and placed her hands upon the table, folding and unfolding them so she'd have something to do instead of sitting there awkwardly, even though this mess was her fault.

The skin of her hands was cracked and dry; her nails were short, bitten down, with chipped pink nail polish. She observed her friends' hands—soft skin, French-manicured nails, moving gracefully as each of them lifted forks to their mouths and folded their napkins daintily.

Even when it came to small things, Rose was nothing like her friends.

She finally took a deep breath and looked into Anna's face. "Do you like Slayer, Anna?"

The skinny brunette blinked at her like a deer caught in headlights. "What?"

"Slayer. They're a favorite band of mine. Do you know them?"

Anna's bottom lip quivered. "No, Rose."

"What is your _deal _today, girl?"

Rose turned to her right and met Elizabeth's piercing gaze. Her chocolate brown eyes stared into Rose's green ones, searching for…something. Rose didn't know quite what.

"My deal?"

"Yes!" Elizabeth looked away from Rose and threw her hands up exasperatedly. "You've been acting like a…acting like a _freak _all day! You barely talk to any of us, and when you do, you're kind of rude and not yourself." The other two girls nodded in agreement, and Elizabeth tucked a piece of black hair behind her ear before continuing. "Like, I don't understand what your damage is today. Did you and Cal have a fight or something?"

"No." Rose clutched her purse to her side and slowly stood up. "I haven't even seen him since yesterday morning. I guess I'm just…off today." She snorted again—her mother would _die_—and marched out of the cafeteria—

—And straight into Cal, who had seemed to be waiting for her outside the doors. His brown eyes held a hint of anger, but Rose pretended not to notice. She forced a smile on her face.

"Hello, Cal."

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you all _day." _He gripped her wrist, almost painfully, and pulled her down the hallway with him. "You weren't outside your classroom after fourth period like you usually are. You _know _we're supposed to meet up there. Don't you, Rose?" He suddenly whirled around to face her, and she jumped slightly in surprise.

"I guess."

"You _guess?" _His grip tightened just a little.

"I mean, I know, Cal, I know. I'm sorry." She wrenched her wrist away and stumbled back a few steps. "I'm sorry. I haven't really been myself today."

"No, obviously not." Cal smoothed down his dark hair with his hand and sighed loudly, then bared his teeth in what he thought was a charming smile. "Darling, would you be interested in a lunch date tomorrow?"

_Hell. No. _She said nothing.

"It's supposed to be glorious sunny weather!"

She gave Cal a quick peck on the stubbly cheek and stared at his mouth, so she wouldn't have to see the rage in his eyes. "No, dear. I'm going out with my mother." She hurried away before he could respond, thankful that he didn't try to follow her.

She wondered for a second if Jack would have been proud of her for defying her friends and her boyfriend.

_Jack. _She shoved him out of her mind as she walked into her history classroom and found her chair. Why had she been thinking of him all day? She barely knew him. Why did his opinion matter anyway?

O O O O

Rose didn't want to go home today either, only this afternoon she didn't have an excuse as to why.

She texted her mother another lie (God, she was turning into _such _a bad girl!) and strolled through the empty hallways, humming Blink-182 songs under her breath. Something in her head kept encouraging her, and then urging her, to go to the auditorium again.

And so she found her feet taking her there before her logical side had a chance to argue.

The unnerving _clang _echoed throughout the room again as the doors closed, but Rose ignored it this time and began to walk along the edge row of seats, looking…

Looking for what?

Jack. She knew it was Jack that she was searching for. But she didn't want to admit it to herself—not just yet.

Maybe one day soon she could.

She continued to follow the length of the carpet, her eyes scanning over every area of the room in hopes of finding a blonde head somewhere among the seats.

But there was nothing.

Rose searched three more times, just to make sure, but each time, she found nothing.

Jack wasn't here.

A surprising disappointment settled heavily in her heart, weighing her down as she picked up her purse and forced herself to go out to the parking and drive home.


	4. The Rich Girl Rebels

**Thank you **_**so**_** much for your reviews, they absolutely made my day! :D I LOVE writing this and I'm so glad you enjoy it!**

The shrill voice of Ruth griping at John drifted from downstairs up to Rose's bedroom, loud enough to rouse her from her sleep even though the door was closed. Rose groaned and slapped her mattress in frustration before burying her face into her pillow and screaming. Could she not even sleep in past eight on a Saturday morning?

Apparently not. When her mother's already obnoxious pitch began to get higher, Rose decided it was time to get out of bed. She forced herself to stand up and sloppily threw the covers over the mattress; Trudy, the family maid, would make the bed later anyway. Her red curls were pinned back with a dozen bobby pins, her sleepy face was scrubbed clean and fresh, and her silk pajamas were replaced with a L.A.M.B. tank top and jeans.

Jeans. She could already see Ruth's appalled expression when she went downstairs.

Rose put on her brave face and ventured out of her bedroom and into the dining room, where her parents sat at the long table, John's nose buried in the morning newspaper and Ruth muttering incoherently. Neither one noticed Rose's presence, or if they did, they didn't acknowledge it. She took her normal place at the end of the table, and the family chef sprinted into the room with a plate of scrambled eggs and a fruit smoothie, placing it in front of Rose before dashing away again into the kitchen.

Rose stared at her breakfast for a moment before hesitantly beginning to eat. Why couldn't she just have bacon and toast like normal people?

Oh, right. Bread and pork was banned from the house, because Ruth didn't consider it "healthy."

Rose rolled her eyes. Ruth glanced up at her daughter and scoffed.

"My God, child, what are you wearing?"

"A new tank top," Rose answered, her mouth full of eggs.

Her mother's hand flew up to her heart. _"Rose! _Don't be a pig! Your manners are absolutely _vile!"_

"Yeah."

John guffawed, crumpling the newspaper and glaring at his daughter. "What a horrendous attitude you have this morning, young lady. What is _wrong _with you?"

Still chewing, Rose stared at her half-full plate of eggs and her empty glass. What was _wrong _with her? What was wrong with _them? _Who said you had to have perfect manners all day, every day of your life?

_"Nothing _is wrong with me, Dad." Rose jumped to her feet and kicked the closest leg of the dining table. Ruth gasped loudly; John slammed his fist on the table.

"Dammit, Rosaline Judith Dewitt-Bukater, _behave yourself!"_

_ "No!" _Rose ran out of the dining room, out of the front door, and to her Ferrari. She hadn't any idea where she was going, but she knew she had to get out.

She slammed her index finger onto a stereo button, and the inside of the car was suddenly blaring with Avenged Sevenfold's "Bat Country." Rose snarled ferociously at her reflection in the rearview mirror, anger pumping through her veins like heroin.

Who did her parents think they were? God?

They weren't even dust in God's eye.

Rose found herself pulling into the parking lot of the mall. Throwing open the Ferrari door, the song blasted out into the mid-morning air.

_"I'll make a beast out of myself!"_

An elderly couple shuffling past her slung annoyed glances her way, but she gave them no mind. She slammed her door with all the force she could muster and stomped to the entrance doors of the building. She didn't know why she came here, but she knew that she didn't want to go home, and she was too blinded by rage to think of another place to be.

The cool temperature of the mall embraced her warm skin, and she took a deep breath to try to clear her head.

Maybe she could call Miranda and they'd go shopping so she could get her mind off of everything—

No.

Miranda, nor Elizabeth, nor Anna would understand why she was so upset.

She felt like no one would.

"Rose?"

An angelic voice tore her from her thoughts. Looking up, her gaze met sky blue eyes that glittered happily.

_Jack._

He waved her over to him and she obeyed him with no hesitance.

The two guys standing by Jack—a dark-haired Italian and a laughing Irishman—silenced as Rose approached them.

Jacked beamed and bowed to the girl before turning back to his friends. "Tommy, Fabrizio, this is Rose—the one I told you about."

With an almost naughty chuckle, Tommy proclaimed, _"The _Rose!"

She blushed in response.

"Go with the lady!" Fabrizio said, putting his hands on Jack's back and pushing him towards Rose. "We'll see you later!"

Laughing, Jack gripped Rose's hand and began to pull her away from his friends. She replied with a warm smile, her anger now completely forgotten. Their steps fell into synch, and a comfortable silence blanketed them momentarily.

Jack realized he was still holding Rose's hand and immediately dropped it, his cheeks burning scarlet. Rose's arm fell and dangled by her side; an unexplainable disappointment washed over her. She glanced at him, taking note of his red face, and giggled.

"Why'd you come here, anyway?" Jack murmured, hesitantly looking up to meet Rose's green gaze. His heart skipped a beat.

The incident with her mother and father came flooding back to her, and her fury resurfaced. She glared at the mall's carpet floor, clenching and unclenching her fists.

_"My parents. _I can't _stand _them!" A low growl escaped her throat.

Jack responded with a laugh. "Oh?"

Rose stopped abruptly and plopped down onto a nearby bench, her companion following suit. "Maybe I just seem like a rotten rich girl, but they _suffocate _me. My mother—" She spat the word out like it was poison. "—criticizes me for everything. I just…I hate it."

Jack blinked at her, silently urging her to continue.

"My parents are more concerned with our reputation and our rank in society than _my _happiness and what I want. I mean, when I told them my sophomore year that I wanted to go to college for art, they laughed in my face. And then they proceeded to tell me that my place in life would be worthless if I was an artist."

With a slight smirk, Jack queried, "So you came here because of your parents? They sent you here?"

"I came here to get away from them!" Rose furrowed her brow in annoyance.

Jack lightly brushed his fingers against hers in an attempt to calm her down; butterflies erupted in her stomach—something she had never felt before, not even with  
Cal.

_Especially _not with Cal.

Suddenly she leapt to her feet, grabbing Jack's hand and pulling him up as well. "Jack! Come with me!"

She broke into a run, tugging Jack behind her, and ignoring the irritated glances and groans of the adults they raced past.

"Where are we going, Rose?"

"You'll see!"

She screeched to a halt in front of a music shop and strutted inside, Jack's hand still in hers. Guitar riffs blasting from the store speakers surrounded them; Rose looked around in awe at the black band t-shirts and posters that covered the crimson walls. The shelves of records and CDs scattered everywhere gave limited walking room, but Rose didn't seem to care. Because here, with Jack at her side, she felt more at home than ever before.

"What are we doing here?"

Rose thought she felt Jack squeeze her hand.

She led him to the back of the store and stared at a section of shirts, her heart racing in excitement. "I'm going to rebel."

Jack burst into laughter, his blue eyes crinkling as he grinned. "Rebel? How?"

Dropping his hand, Rose attacked a pile of shirts, grabbing a few and slinging them over her shoulder. "I'm going to buy _band tees."_

_ "That's _your idea of going against The Man?"

"Against my parents, at least." Satisfied with four shirts, she marched to the counter and purchased them with a giant smile plastered on her face before retreating to the changing room and putting one on.

She emerged a minute later, her colorful tank top now replaced with a Motionless In White shirt and her red curls loose and shaping her face.

Jack's breath caught in his throat as his eyes drank in her beauty.

Rose twirled in place, giggling. "Well?"

"You…look great." His cheeks flushed pink.

With a wink, she asked, "Now what, Monsieur?"

"Have you ever been to a Burger King?"

O O O O

"My God, Jack!" Rose exclaimed after the first bite of her Double Whopper. "This is amazing!"

Jack snickered and swallowed his own mouthful of burger. "How can you live seventeen years without eating a horribly unhealthy, greasy fast food meal?"

"I dunno!" She shoved a few fries into her mouth; her ladylike manners had been thrown out the window long ago.

They finished scarfing down their lunch, and as they got up to leave, Jack grabbed a kid's cardboard Burger King crown and placed it gently upon Rose's head. She burst into a fit of giggles, her laugh music to Jack's ears.

They were approaching her Ferrari when Cal spotted them as he drove down the highway.


	5. Her Pain

It was ten when Rose finally pulled up into the driveway of her house. The silver stars glittered beautifully against the velvet sky—a perfect sight to end what had been a perfect day.

She opened the front door slowly and trudged inside, gently closing it behind her and hoping her parents had already gone to bed. Her reflection in a mirror hanging on the living room wall caught her attention, and she smiled like a silly kid—she was still wearing the Burger King crown.

God, she loved being with Jack.

_"Rosaline Judith Dewitt-Bukater."_

Rose nearly flew out of her skin at the menacing tone of her father's voice. He stood at the end of the staircase, wearing a furious expression, along with her mother…and Cal.

Cal smirked at her when their eyes met, and her heart sank into her stomach.

_"Where have you been?" _Ruth marched up to her daughter and stared into her face, so close that her breath tickled Rose's nose. "You selfish girl—"

_"Speak, now!" _John thundered, stomping next to his wife and getting dangerously close to his child. Rose suppressed a whimper, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I was…with a friend."

"Oh, a friend?" John huffed, throwing his hands in the air as a menacing laugh boomed out of his throat. "A _friend? _Rosaline Judith, stop lying this instant—"

"Rose." Her voice was almost inaudible, but she looked straight into her father's eyes, trying to muster up any confidence she could find within herself.

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Rose."

Ruth's thin lips parted and let out a frustrated scream. _"Rose? _That is _not _the birth name we gave you, child! Your _name _is Rosaline."

Cal stepped in between John and Ruth, waving his hand. "Mr. and Mrs. Dewitt-Bukater, I personally don't see a problem with her nickname. It's…lovely, almost." He winked at his girlfriend, like he was doing her a favor.

John was silent for a moment, considering this, before turning back to his daughter. She shrank back from him. "If we call you Rose, will you calm your erratic behavior?"

"My erratic _behavior?" _Her fear of her father exploded into anger, and she took a step closer to him. "My 'erratic behavior' is the result of years of oppression from _you _and _Mother."_

John's face began to turn purple as he sputtered, searching through his fury to find words.

Cal gently pushed Rose back and then wrapped an arm around her waist. She shivered. "Mr. Dewitt-Bukater, maybe it's best for Rose to just go to her bedroom now…"

_"Who was that boy you were with?" _Ruth shrieked, her nostrils flaring.

"Ho-how did you know?"

_"Cal _saw you with him."

Rose's heart sank even lower in her body.

Ruth reached out and snatched the crown off of Rose's head, throwing it to the carpet. "You're lucky Cal is a good man and wants to through this with you. You're becoming a _slut, _Rosaline." She leaned into Rose's face, her eyes boring into her daughter's. "You are to stay away from that man, do you understand?"

Rose stared at her mother, her skin crawling with hate.

"Get out." Ruth stormed off to her bedroom, John following behind her after giving his daughter a look filled with disgust.

Rose raced up the stairs to her bedroom, Cal walking behind her nonchalantly, as if the incident hadn't happened. He forced himself into her room after she slammed the door and cornered her, like an animal hunting its prey.

_"Rose," _he hissed, pushing her against the wall. She glared at him and bit her lip to refrain from saying anything she wanted to; she knew it would only dig her hole deeper.

"I can't _believe _you'd mess around with another guy behind my back!" He laughed, though the sound was anything but joyful. "Your mother is right; you're a _slut." _His hand formed an iron grip around her upper arm, causing her to yelp. "Don't you _ever _associate with him again, _do you hear me? _I saved your ass back there. You owe me, Rose."

Her name sounded ugly when it came from his mouth.

She averted her gaze from him to the wall behind him, wiling him to let go of her and leave.

But he didn't. He never did.

_"Stay away from him. _You are _mine." _

Her left cheek burned as his hand made contact with it. She closed her eyes, struggling not to tear up, and tried to ignore the fiery pain in her face. He released his grip on her and calmly exited the room without a goodbye.

Rose stood against the wall for a few seconds before opening her mouth and letting out a sharp cry. Her hand flew up to her cheek, caressing it softly, before she broke into sobs and sank to the floor.

Why did it all have to be like this?

Her lungs couldn't find oxygen, she was crying so hard. She wanted someone there for her, someone that would listen and comfort her and tell her everything was going to be fine.

She fished her cell phone out of her pocket and called Jack's number. He picked up on the second ring, his voice bubbly and full of glee.

"Rose?"

"Jack." She had trouble getting the name out of her mouth.

"Rose, what's wrong?" His tone was urgent now, worried.

"Jack, I can't do this," she blubbered, sniffling loudly. "I need you, please."

"I'll come get you, Rose. Where do you live?"

She told him and hung up, then dried her eyes and cautiously tiptoed out of her bedroom. There were no lights on in the house; she was safe. She darted out of the front door and waited at the end of the driveway for her savior. Ten minutes later, a 2000 black Mustang stopped in front of her house. She rushed to the passenger door and let herself in, wiping her face once more before turning to Jack.

His eyes were dull, his face sketched with anxiety. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'll tell you later."


	6. To The Stars

**Thegoodgirldoll, I love your reviews! You're so sweet! :D **

**I'm on such a kick today, cranking out 3 chapters and now I'm forcing myself to stop so I can do schoolwork :[ Enjoy! :D**

The small house was comfortable; Rose liked it more than the three-story mansion she lived in. She followed Jack up a small flight of stairs, scanning her surroundings—the family pictures lining the white walls, the beige loveseat across from the TV, the wooden coffee table that looked as if it had been hand-carved.

"Where are your parents, Jack?"

"They're at a family reunion back in Wisconsin." Jack flashed her a pearly white smile as they reached the top of the stairs. "They'll be back Monday night."

She followed him into his bedroom, a blue-walled room with a king-sized bed and about a dozen movie and band posters. A smile tugged at the corners of Rose's lips; she'd much rather live in this place than her room. Jack fell onto the bed and pulled her down with him, laughing. His grin faded as he looked into her tear-stained face and red-rimmed eyes.

Unconsciously, he reached his hand out and ran his fingers through her tangled curls. "Want to tell me what happened now?"

Her bottom lip quivered, but she fought back her tears for Jack. "I had a fight with my mother and father. John got in my face…yelling and screaming and scaring me. Ruth screeched like a monkey too, and called me a slut."

Jack's eyes widened. "Why the hell did she do that?"

Rose lowered her voice. "Because Cal saw me with you."

His eyebrows flew up onto his forehead. "Cal Hockley? That snob that goes to our school?"

"He's my…boyfriend. He saw us together today."

Jack's expression became deathly serious, and his heart rate slowed. The melancholy waves that enveloped him were almost suffocating. She had a _boyfriend?_

Rose seemed to sense Jack's sorrow and ran her index finger along his jawline to try to comfort him. He closed his eyes, electricity coursing through his veins from her touch. He didn't want her to stop.

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I don't love Cal. I…I _hate _him." Her sobs overtook her, and Jack hurriedly sat up and pulled her into him. She buried her face in his chest and breathed in his sweet, soapy scent as she wept into his plaid shirt. "I can't break up with him, Jack, I can't. I'm too scared."

"Scared?" he murmured. Nervousness began to rise up in his throat. "Why are you scared?"

"He…He _beats _me!" she screamed, looking up into Jack's face. His look of shock melted away into one of absolutely fury; his cheeks were crimson and hate flared in his blue eyes.

"He _beats _you?"

Rose gestured to her left cheek, and Jack noticed that it was pink and slightly swollen. He let out an animal-like snarl, his blood boiling underneath his skin. "I'll fucking kill him."

"No!" Rose cried, throwing herself into Jack. The two fell back onto the mattress, and Rose snaked her arms around Jack's body. "Please, not tonight. I just want to be with you tonight."

He kissed the top of her head, causing both of their hearts to race. "I can't let him get away with something like that, Rose."

"Tonight you can." She pushed herself up on one elbow and gazed into his face. His anger was overridden with an expression of…love? Was it love that Rose saw in his eyes? She tangled her fingers in his blonde hair and leaned close to his mouth, their lips brushing slightly. "Jack…"

He closed the miniscule gap between their lips. The butterflies Rose had felt earlier in the day reappeared—much stronger now. Their wings brushed the lining of her stomach, and she gasped quietly in the middle of their kiss. Jack's hands moved under her t-shirt and up the soft skin of her back, giving her goosebumps. She deepened the kiss and leaned more of her body weight into him, which he graciously accepted. He nipped at her bottom lip before she pulled away.

They stared at each other for a while before breaking into awkward giggles. Jack's hand cradled Rose's unharmed cheek, his thumb stroking the skin. "You're beautiful, Rose. Has anyone ever told you that?"

She closed her eyes and absorbed the moment into her brain so that she could replay it later. "No. Never."

"Well, you are." He pecked the tip of her nose and smiled sheepishly. "Why are you giving me butterflies, Rose?" he mumbled accusingly, resulting in a laugh from her.

"I guess because you started it!" Her lips found his again; his hands ran down her curves, and then back up again.

Rose pulled away for air, staring into Jack's eyes, into his soul. "Jack, I…" She felt the need to express her feelings, but she didn't quite know how. She searched blindly for words in her mind as Jack studied her face with a slightly amused expression.

"Jack, you make me feel…at home," she finally murmured, smiling in embarrassment. "I feel so at place when I'm with you. That must sound weird, huh, 'cause I've only known you three days—"

He placed a finger on her lips, cutting her off. "No. I feel the same, Rose." With a chuckle, he continued, moving his hand back up to stroke her face. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since the minute I met you."

Rose blinked and laughed, almost snorting. "Really?"

"Really. You're…perfect, I think."

"You think?"

"Yeah, 'cause what if you're secretly a guy or something and I don't know yet?"

"You're silly, Mr. Dawson." She crashed her lips into his, her fingers slipping under his shirt and trailing from his chest down to the top of his jeans. She fiddled with them for a moment before slowly unbuttoning his pants and snaking her tongue past his lips. He allowed it, beginning to lose his breath, and helped her pull off her own clothes.

"Take me to the stars, Jack."

O O O O

"Guess what?" Jack traced circles on the small of Rose's naked back, his eyes glimmering.

"Hm?"

"You're not a guy."

Rose giggled like a schoolgirl. "Oh really, now?"

"Mhmm." His gaze drifted from her face to her breasts, to her stomach, to her thighs, to her legs, and back up again. "Rose? Can I draw you?"

She blinked at him. "Naked?"

"Yes!"

"Well…okay."

Jack leapt up from the bed, quickly pulled on his boxers, grabbed his sketchpad off his desk, and yanked a pencil out of the pen cup next to his school textbooks. Rose elongated her body and lifted her chin up for him, smirking. His hand flew across the page, the tip of his tongue sticking out from between his lips as he concentrated and tried his best to capture Rose's likeness on paper.

Half an hour later, he flipped the sketchpad around and Rose gasped. "That's…me?"

"Yep."

"That's amazing, Jack." She sat up and began searching for her underwear and t-shirt. "Jack, can we sleep together?"

He winked. "We already did!"

"No! Real sleep!"

"Yes, my darling."

Her heart thumped at that.

He returned to his spot next to her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him as he reached his other arm out to switch off the lamp. She snuggled up to his chest as he tugged the giant quilt over their bodies and sighed contentedly. She had never felt so at ease before in her life.

"Goodnight, Jack."

"'Night, Rosie."

"…Jack?"

"Hm?" he mumbled in the darkness, kissing her hair.

"I…I love you."


	7. The Confession

**Thank you so much everyone for the reviews! :D **

_"Hello, I've waited here for you, everlong…"_

Momentarily silence. Then it started up again.

_"Hello, I've waited here for you, everlong…"_

Rose began to come into consciousness, but she didn't want to open her eyes. The sunlight drifting into the room glowed behind her eyelids, and she knew it was morning, but she was too comfortable to fully wake up. She wanted to stay here, forever—with Jack sleeping beside her, his chin resting on top of her head.

_"Hello, I've waited here for you, everlong… Hello, I've waited here for you, everlong…"_

She forced herself to open her eyes and groggily looked around—the band posters greeted her good morning, and she smiled, remembering the night before. Jack's kisses, the way he felt inside her, how he drew her nude body…

_"Hello, I've waited here for you, everlong…"_

The drowsiness started to ebb away and Rose slowly propped herself up on her elbow, careful not to disturb Jack. The Foo Fighters song continued to blare endlessly.

Rose was awake immediately when she realized that it was her phone ringing.

Leaping to her feet, she scrambled to grab her Blackberry off of Jack's desk and answer it.

"Hello?"

_"Rosaline."_

_ Ruth. _A wave of nausea washed over Rose.

"Mother…"

"Where on Earth _are _you, Rosaline Judith? Your father and Cal and I have been looking for you everywhere! I didn't find you in your bedroom this morning, and I thought you had been kidnapped—"

Rose rolled her eyes, running a hand through her messy red curls. Only her mother would fly to such crazy conclusions.

On the other side of the room, Jack began to stir and sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes with his fists. He stretched, elongating his limbs and arching his back like a cat, then looked up to meet Rose's nervous gaze. His face contorted into a horrified expression when he saw her holding the phone and biting her lip anxiously.

"—I phoned Cal and he had no idea where you were, you little demon, and he phoned your friends and they hadn't a clue either—"

Jack quietly padded over to Rose and stood over her, gripping her free hand and stroking it gently with his thumb.

"Mother, I'm fine—"

_"Where are you?"_

Rose swallowed the lump in her throat, not sure what to tell her. "Mother, I'll be on my way home soon, I'm fine—"

"Rosaline, your father sent the _police _out looking for you!"

Frightened tears sprang to Rose's emerald eyes; she squeezed Jack's hand, her bottom lip quivering. "Mother, that's not necessary, I'm—"

_"You better get home soon."_

The line went dead. Rose placed her Blackberry atop the desk and slowly stood up, not meeting Jack's eyes. "My mother…"

"Rose, I'll take you home." He grabbed his plaid shirt from the night before off the floor and hurriedly pulled it over his head, messing up his already tangled blonde locks.

_"No." _Rose slipped on her jeans and buttoned them, her face serious as death. "I can't let you get in trouble because of me. My mother will have you arrested for—I dunno, rape or attempted murder or something. She's insane." She shoved her phone into her back pocket and raced down the stairs, Jack on her heels.

"Rose, no—"

"Please." She whirled around to face him as she reached the front door. "Jack, last night meant the _world _to me—"

He couldn't help but smile.

"But you're _not _coming with me, you're not going to put yourself in this situation."

Jack took a step closer to her, his face mere centimeters from hers. "Rose, I can't just let you go back to them, back to Cal. I'm too involved now. You jump, I jump."

"No." Rose opened the door and backed out onto the porch, staring into Jack's beautiful blue eyes. "I won't let you." She kissed him, her heart racing as it did every time their lips met, and then pulled away. "I love you."

She turned and raced down the driveway and onto the sidewalk, running as fast as her legs could carry her.

Jack watched her sadly and sighed. "I love you, too…"

O O O O

"You were _where?"_

Rose blinked at her father and opened her mouth again to speak, hoping her voice sounded strong and confident. "I was just roaming the neighborhood, the city. I stayed the night at a motel on the outskirts; I just needed to be alone for a while."

Ruth and John stared at their daughter before looking at each other and laughing nervously. The two police officers standing by the front door rolled their eyes—typical stupid teenagers. One caught Ruth's attention and tipped his cap at her, faking a smile.

"Well, I suppose our business here is done, ma'am."

She waved her hand at them and turned back to Rose. "Yes."

The men exited the house, and an uncomfortable silence flooded the living room as the door closed behind them. Ruth finally sighed and began rubbing her temples.

"Rosaline, I don't understand why you've been acting so…odd lately, but I can no longer handle it, and quite frankly, I'm not going to put up with it." She bared her teeth at her daughter, her nasally voice rising a couple of pitches. "You are not allowed out anywhere besides school, unless you are accompanied with Cal."

Rose's blood ran cold in her veins. "What?"

"You heard your mother," John grumbled, the tips of his gray mustache pointing downward as he frowned. "I have to meet with a client; I'll be back this afternoon." He swiftly opened the front door and left the mother and daughter to themselves.

The latter glanced at the carpet, her voice soft and timid. "You can't do this to me, Mother."

"Oh, I can. I most definitely can." Ruth lifted up Rose's chin, forcing her to make eye contact. "You _will _obey me." They stared at each other for a few seconds before Rose forced herself to speak.

"Mom…Cal hits me."

Ruth let go of her daughter and took a step back, her face painted with a surprised expression. The little voice in Rose's head told her she was more horrified at being called "Mom" than her daughter's confession.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Tears streamed down Rose's cheeks, her face crumpling as she cried. "Cal abuses me!"

"I don't believe it." Ruth broke eye contact and turned to face the doorway to the dining room. "He's too good to you."

"No, he _beats _me!" Rose tried to control the hysteria in her words, but failed. "He has for almost a year now!"

"I don't believe you."

_"Mother!"_

Ruth sighed and began to make her way out of the living room. "No one's perfect, Rose."


	8. Man That She Fears

"Smile, my dear!"

"What reason do I have?"

Cal removed one hand from the steering wheel and reached out to squeeze Rose's; she cringed.

"You have _me, _babe."

_I'm not your babe. _"I can't even leave my house unless it's with you."

"Yes!" Cal laughed, an unnerving sound in Rose's ears. "What other reason do you need? Those girls—Marilyn and Anna Banana or whatever—they're not _important. _They can't give you what I can."

Rose jerked her hand out of Cal's grip and raised her eyes to his face, her expression holding a hint of anger. "I don't _want _what you give me, Caledon."

His face fell stern, his brows furrowing in irritation. His fist clenched itself, and Rose let out a soft gasp before he forced himself to calm down. With a deep breath, he mumbled, "I'm better for you than any other man out there."

"I'm only here because my mother forced me to come with you." She glared at him, measuring his blank expression, slightly hoping she wasn't pressing his buttons too hard. She knew what he did when that happened. But being strangled and suffocated her whole life was finally taking its toll, and a need for rebellion coursed through her veins every second she was with him or her parents.

The Mercedes rolled into the parking lot of the restaurant, much to Rose's chagrin. The door flew open and a man in a suit took Rose's hand and helped her out of the car while another took the keys from Cal.

_Valet parking was such a pain in the ass._

Cal tucked his arm around Rose's, grinning like a madman as they walked into the Italian restaurant, drawing everyone's eyes to them. Rose stared back, emotionless, while Cal checked that their names were on the list and then escorted to a table in the middle of the restaurant. He pulled out her chair for her and waited for her to sit before he made his way to his own chain.

_What a gentleman._

Rose glued her eyes to the slick surface of the table, not even bothering to pick up the menu that had been given to her. Cal chuckled nervously, his smile as fake as her mother's dyed red hair.

"What will you be ordering, dear?"

"Lobster pasta." She didn't look up at him.

He coughed uncomfortably and set his menu back onto the slick surface of the table, glancing around at the other snobby rich people that were wasting too much money on food and wine. Rose felt a sharp, sudden pain in her shin and her eyes flew up in Cal's direction, her mouth agape.

He was grinning, but his brown eyes were on fire. "Rose, we're in public and we are familiar with many of these people; you better _behave."_

She cleared her throat and patted her pinned-up hair, forcing her ruby red lips to twitch upward in a faint smile. She was smart enough to know that it was about time to obey Cal before things started to get out of hand.

And she'd have to be the one to pay for it.

Their food soon arrived; Rose didn't even remember ordering it. She lifted her fork and twirled a few noodles around the spokes, slowly and elegantly like her mother taught her when she was young. She tried her best not to pay any attention, hoping he wouldn't be too mad.

An hour eventually ticked off, and Cal decided that it was time to leave. Rose trailed behind him out of the restaurant and back to the Mercedes, an awkward silence following them as well. The suited men closed their doors and Cal slammed his foot on the pedal, peeling out of the parking lot and onto the highway.

"Rose, tonight has been sufficiently…uncomfortable." He raised his eyes to her; her heart stopped. "I think I know what to do to fix this." He suddenly made a sharp right turn and pulled off onto a dusted path on the side of the road that led to a small forest.

Rose knew where this was going.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and placed her hand over to mouth to keep from crying out. Cal stopped the car abruptly as soon as they reached the entrance to the forest and turned to Rose, his eyes gleaming with lust.

"I think all you need is a little _passion; _then you'll feel better and stop being so crazy." He leaned his weight onto her and forced his lips against hers; she didn't kiss back, but was too scared to push him off. Her heart pounded in her chest, beating fiercely against her ribcage. She shut her eyes and tried to dream of being somewhere else—Jack's bed, in his arms, looking into his crystal blue eyes.

Cal pulled away, breathing heavily, and began to loosen his tie. "Get yourself ready."

Rose didn't move.

He shrugged off his black blazer and frowned at her. "I _said _prepare yourself, or _I'll _do it for you."

Her voice came out as a whisper. "Please, Cal; no."

He growled and wrapped his fingers around a strap of her purple dress, ripping it. The thin piece of fabric fell over her breast, and the left side of her dress began to slide down, revealing more of her cleavage. Cal began to kiss her slightly exposed chest hungrily, and Rose's stomach started to churn.

"Cal, please, stop—"

His hand slipped underneath the hem of her attire and rubbed against her right thigh before moving upward. Vomit began to rise in her throat. She squeezed her legs shut, trapping Cal's hand, causing him to pull his mouth away from her bosom and hiss at her.

_"Stop that." _

_ "You _stop," she murmured, tears welling up in her emerald eyes. "Please."

He removed his hand from between her thighs and instead reached for the other strap of her dress, breaking that one as well. Her breasts began to spill out and Rose wailed, tears falling like waterfalls down both cheeks. She shrank back from Cal and pushed herself against the car door, struggling to get away from him in the tiny space of the vehicle.

But he just followed her.

She suddenly found herself falling backward and landing with a painful thud against dried grass and pebbles, the sight of Cal's face now replaced with the twinkling stars and the full moon shining down upon her.

_"Bastard!"_

Rose scrambled to her feet, hurriedly pulling up her dress to hide her chest. The car door was open and another figure was leaning inside, his skin gleaming in the moonlight.

_Jack. _Jack had saved her.

He stumbled back as Cal pushed him and climbed out of the Mercedes, blood trickling down his chin and his eye beginning to swell shut. He raised his fist and struck at Jack, clocking him in the jaw, but the blonde man remained standing, his body quivering from rage.

Rose stepped back a few paces, almost losing her balance as her heels rolled over rocks and bits of dirt. Her blood chilled underneath her skin as she continued to watch the one she loved beat the one she despised, her lips seemingly sewn shut and unable to speak.

Cal caught Jack's right eye with his fist and he groaned, his hand flying up to his fresh wound. Cal cackled and aimed for his other eye but missed as Jack ducked and then head-butted him in the stomach.

Rose finally found her voice. _"Stop! Stop!"_

The two ignored her and Cal lunged at Jack, pushing him to the ground and hovering over him, his blood dripping onto Jack's face. He grimaced in disgust and wriggled underneath Cal's weight, fighting to escape.

"Stop, please! _Stop!" _Rose shoved Cal, hoping to get him off of Jack, but that failed; Cal laughed in her face before turning back to his opponent and hitting him in the nose. Jack let out a cry of pain and Rose tried once more to push Cal, this time succeeding. He fell into the brown grass, cursing loudly, and Jack jumped to his feet and grabbed Rose's hand, pulling her away as Cal stood back up. He glared at the couple with hatred in his eyes.

Blue and red flashing lights appeared behind Cal and all three stared in fear as two police officers emerged from the cop car with pistols in hand.

_"Everyone, on your knees and hands up!"_

They obeyed. One officer approached Cal while the other ran over to Jack and Rose, annoyance etched onto his face. "What's all this shit about?" he asked, surveying Jack's blackened eye and bleeding nose and then turning to see Cal spitting out blood onto the ground.

Jack kept his hands in the air and sighed. "That man was trying to rape this woman here—" He tilted his head towards Rose. "—and I tried to stop him, and we ended up in a brawl."

The first officer looked at Cal, silently asking for confirmation to Jack's story. Cal grinned; Rose knew he was going to manage to find a way to slither out of this.

"Oh, officer. That's ridiculous!" He brought himself to his feet, ignoring the surprised expressions of the police. "Do you know my father? Nathan Hockley?" He reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet, and looked up to meet the cops' gazes. "Why don't I just pay you fine gentlemen and we can call it a night? After all, I imagine there are other tasks and crimes you should be attending to that are more important than this."

The officers glanced at each other before shrugging and allowing Cal to place wads of bills in their hands. The second man tipped his cap and then looked over to Jack and Rose.

"I suppose I ought to take you two home, at least. Come."

They glared hatefully at Cal and followed the officers to the police car as the slimy, slick-haired bastard snickered and walked around to the driver's side of his Mercedes.


	9. Not Alone

**Oh wow, I had a lot of typos in that last chapter . My apologies! Here's chapter 9 everyone! Almost to double digits! :D**

_"Rose!"_

Rose whirled around in the crowded hallway to find Jack racing towards her, his face carved with happiness. She couldn't help but smile back, despite everything that had happened since her dinner date with Cal.

Jack threw himself at Rose, wrapping his arms around her thin frame and squeezing her so hard she nearly suffocated. She squeaked out a laugh, her heart fluttering at being close to him again. She hadn't seen him or talked to him since the police officers took him home that eventful night; her father had stomped her Blackberry to pieces in fury and installed locks on her door and windows the following morning.

She had become even more of a prisoner than before.

Rose pulled away, locking eyes with Jack, and tried not to cry from joy at seeing his handsome face once again. The tardy bell for fifth period rang, but they ignored it. Panicked students fled into their classrooms, emptying the hall and leaving only Jack and Rose.

"I've missed you so much." He leaned forward and showered her face and forehead with kisses as she erupted into shrill giggles.

"I missed you too, Jack." Her hand cradled his right cheek and he smiled. The almost familiar butterflies materialized in her stomach; she had grown to adore the feeling. "I'm so glad to see you."

His lips parted slightly, emitting a sigh. "What…what happened with you?"

Rose sucked in her breath and exhaled slowly, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Well…Cal called my parents and told them that you had 'stalked' us and attacked him on the way out of the restaurant."

Jack's eyebrows crinkled in anger. "That's horseshit!" He immediately snapped his jaw shut when he realized what he said and grabbed Rose's hand, looking around for teachers roaming outside the classrooms, before leading her out of the hallway and behind a staircase. They settled on the cold floor with their backs against the bricked wall, their fingers entwined. The stairs cast a dark shadow over them and hid them perfectly from any passersby.

Rose huffed and continued speaking with a sad tone in her voice. "My father went ballistic, of course… Destroyed my phone, locked me inside my room. I can't even get out unless one of them comes upstairs and unlocks my door so I can eat and go to school. I'm like frickin' Rapunzel or something."

Jack looked horrified. "How do you go pee?"

Rose giggled like a loon, laying her head on Jack's shoulder as her body shook with laughter. "My room's connected to a bathroom! Like a master bedroom, except every bedroom is my house is one."

"Ah. Thank God." Jack stroked her scarlet curls, grinning. "Thought I'd have to bring you an empty coffee can tomorrow or something."

"Jack!" Rose sat back up and playfully swatted at his arm, a smile plastered on her pale face. "Don't be so vulgar!"

He laughed back and leaned forward to kiss her. Time ceased to exist; the minutes began to fade away as the lovebirds shared lips, their hands struggling to pull one another closer to each other. The air surrounding them was alive with sparks, and they didn't even notice when the bell rang to end fifth period or begin sixth.

O O O O

"Is Rose skipping?"

Miranda popped her gum and looked at Elizabeth, shrugging her exposed shoulders. "I dunno. I haven't seen her since this morning. She wasn't in fifth period, and I didn't see her in the halls."

"Yeah, she wasn't in sixth or seventh either." Elizabeth let out an exasperated sigh and shoved past a group of jocks standing in the middle of the hallway. Miranda ambled behind her, struggling to balance in her six-inch heels.

"I hope she doesn't get in trouble, her mom'd be pissed."

"I know." Elizabeth located her locker and swung it open, nearly knocking Miranda in the face. "We'll find her eventually." She stuffed her English binder and calculus textbook inside and slammed it shut, stomping down the hall with Miranda following close behind her.

The two girls walked by a set of stairs that stood across from the cafeteria, a familiar voice drifting from behind them and strolling through their ears.

"Jack, you know that graduation's just in two weeks…"

Miranda and Elizabeth froze in their tracks, slowly turning their heads towards the staircase. They glanced at one another, their eyes wide with surprise.

"I know, Rose, why?"

"Jack…Let's run away together. Let's get out of this wretched place, and live our lives with each other. You're all I've ever wanted."

Elizabeth grabbed Miranda's wrist and pulled her towards the cafeteria, her heart beating nervously. "Miranda!" she hissed, her eyes boring holes into her friend's face. "Did you _hear _that?"

The blonde girl nodded like a bobblehead resting on the dashboard of a car, her mouth drooping uncertainly.

"Rose…She can't just _leave!"_

Miranda swallowed the lump in her throat and shrugged.

"She can't _abandon _Cal." Elizabeth leaned close to Miranda and lowered her voice. "We have to tell him."

**I'm sorry, this chapter is short and not as good as the previous ones, but I had to set up the action-packed next chapter! ****:]**


	10. Black Sunshine

**Finally to double digits! :D Thank you **_**SO **_**much for all the wonderful reviews, they are much appreciated! :3 There's a bit of language in this chapter, so be warned!**

"Jack, it's okay," Rose murmured, bringing his hand to her ruby red lips and kissing it gently. "I'll see you tomorrow, my love. Don't worry." She dropped his hand and planted a smooch on his cheek, resulting in a big grin from him.

"Alright, but I can't help it! I hate knowing that you're so…trapped." Jack stuffed his hands into the pockets of his khaki shorts, frowning.

Rose cupped his face with her hand, giving him a warm smile. "Just two more weeks and I'll be free."

His hand reached up to touch hers, his eyes glittering as he stared into hers. "Alright."

Packs of students raced down the hallway, anxious to leave school, but Jack and Rose felt like they were the only people in the world. They didn't care that they were showing their affection in plain sight.

They were in love and the world could know it, even Cal and Rose's parents.

"Um?"

The couple broke from their trance and turned to find Elizabeth standing awkwardly beside them, twiddling her thumbs. She hesitated to meet Rose's gaze. "You need to go to the auditorium, Rose."

She raised an eyebrow. "What? Why?"

Elizabeth averted her brown eyes to the tiled floor. "Mr. T said you left a binder in there during your drama class this morning."

Rose stared at her friend curiously, then turned back to Jack and kissed his lips softly. "Two weeks," she reminded him, before smiling and walking past him. Elizabeth and Jack exchanged strange glances until the girl coughed and dashed away, leaving Jack alone in the hallway.

O O O O

The eerie _clang _rang throughout the auditorium as the doors closed behind Rose, the sound all too familiar to her. She smiled at the memory of her first meeting with Jack as she scanned each row of seats, searching for the supposed binder she had left in here. Surely Mr. T would have come and found her himself if she had forgotten something instead of telling Elizabeth, wouldn't he? Rose wasn't even sure that Elizabeth _had _drama with Mr. T—

_"Rose."_

She froze instantly, her back becoming straight and erect. Her eyelids shut and she held her breath, too scared to exhale.

A large hand clamped down on her shoulder, causing her to gasp in fright. Hot breath warmed her neck and ear as he leaned close to her, his voice gentle and almost loving.

Like calm before a storm.

"Who do you think you are, planning to leave me?" His softness shattered as he whirled Rose around to face him, her eyes flying open and meeting his beet red face.

She struggled to open her mouth and speak. "Cal, I—"

_"Cal, nothing!" _He raised his right hand and slapped her in her face, so hard that it caused her to stumble back a few steps. She didn't even have time to raise her fingers to her wound and survey the damage before he was in front of her again, his hand poised to strike once more.

And it did.

She cried out, fighting to keep her balance. Her backpack fell off of her shoulder and landed on the carpeted walkway with a soft thud.

"You've lost your fucking mind—" This time his hand curled into a fist and Rose's eyes widened as it met the right side of her jaw. Her teeth smashed down into her tongue inside her mouth, drawing blood. It spilled out from between her lips and dripped onto her pale yellow t-shirt, staining the fabric instantly.

"Cal!" she shrieked, her teeth crimson with blood. "Cal, please!"

_"You've lost your mind!" _He punched her again, this time directly in the face. She crashed onto the floor; he fell to his knees on top of her, his brown eyes gleaming with fury. "You aren't going _anywhere, _Rose—"

Another punch.

She opened her mouth and screamed as loud as she could, but Cal shut her up with a hard slap to the left cheek. Vermilion liquid shot out of her mouth, covering her chin and part of her face. Her head was beginning to feel dizzy as Cal's fist met the skin below her right ear. Cal's red, sweating face became blurred in her vision, but she knew she had to scream again, and keep screaming until she passed out.

Or until he killed her.

_"Shut your slut mouth!"_

Her nose popped loudly under his knuckles.

She screeched again, spots of black starting to creep into her vision.

_"Stop making so much noise, you fuck—"_

The weight of Cal's body pressing into her vanished as he flew to the carpet, an _"oof" _escaping his lips. Rose blinked a few times, somewhat helping her blurry eyesight, to find Fabrizio and Tommy hovering over Cal, their fists making contact with his face repeatedly. She looked around her slowly, the dizziness growing progressively worse.

Jack's face appeared over hers, tears in his sky blue eyes.

"Jack…" Rose whispered, reaching a hand up to touch his cheek.

_"Rose!" _He bent down to her side and slipped an arm underneath her back, propping her up slightly. Her head lolled before he helped steady it, and she closed her eyes, the pain in her mouth and face becoming more agonizing as every second passed.

"Rose, you've got to open your eyes, you can't go to sleep, Rose—"

She forced her eyelids open and turned to watch Cal squirm underneath Tommy and Fabrizio, his blood staining the carpet near his head. She turned back to Jack and saw his face crumple with tears. Her heart broke for him, and she lifted her hand to run her fingers slowly through his blonde hair.

"Don't cry…"

_"Look what he's done to you, Rose!" _His voice was hysterical, sobs shaking his body. "He's beat you to a pulp!"

"I'll…be okay…"

Fabrizio suddenly jumped up and grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket, his fingers quickly dialing a number. Tommy gripped the folds of Cal's shirt and jerked him up. Cal's blackened eyes were nearly swollen shut, as were his lips. He struggled to stand up, the strength drained out of him. He fell back to the floor; Tommy kicked him sharply in the ribs.

Time seemed to freeze for everyone in the room until the auditorium doors burst open and three police officers waving pistols rushed inside, followed by two paramedics carrying a stretcher. The cops ran over to the guys and two immediately began to question Tommy and Fabrizio while one locked handcuffs around Cal's wrists. The blackness began to swallow Rose, but she fought to stay awake as Jack helped the paramedics carefully place her on the stretcher. She remembered them asking her simple questions to try to keep her from falling asleep, but as the school doors opened and the crisp afternoon air embraced her, she gave in to the darkness.


	11. Rose's Emanicpation

**I love all of my reviewers and readers so so so much! I would totally buy all of you chocolate lava cake and then take y'all to Titanic 3D if I could! :D Thank you all so much for liking my story! It means the world to me :D**

"Rose?"

Blackness.

Surrounding her. Suffocating her. Swallowing her.

She could hear her name being called underneath the almost deafening silence that rang in her ears—but how could she get to it?

"Rose? Rose, wake up…"

The darkness was an ocean that she was drowning in; she forced herself to come up for air and fight against the current.

"Rose…"

The voice was becoming clearer—slowly, but surely. She swam faster and harder, gasping for breath each time a black wave crashed over her.

"Baby, please…"

She finally broke through the surface.

Her eyes flew open and a blinding white enveloped her. She squinted against it, straining to adjust her vision. A blurry figure began to come into focus, its blonde head messy with tangled locks. Its blue eyes were shiny with tears.

"Jack…" she whispered, inhaling a long, deep breath.

He leapt to her side and gently grasped her hand. She looked down to it, noticing there was an IV jammed under the skin with tape covering it to protect the needle from coming out. She blinked rapidly, her eyesight improving; she was able now to see almost perfectly clear. She whirled her head side to side, surveying her environment—white walls, beeping heart monitor, two empty chairs to the right of the stiff mattress that she lay upon…

And Jack leaning over her face, his cheeks red and stained from hours of crying. He smiled weakly at her, stroking her hand with his rough artist's fingers.

"Baby," he murmured, reaching out with his other hand to cradle her face.

Her heart fluttered at the sound of his angelic voice.

"How long… Have I been here?" Her words were garbled and scratchy, as if her throat had to force them out.

"Just since yesterday afternoon, after the incident."

The incident…

Rose racked her brain, trying to remember what had happened. The last thing she saw before the blackness took her was the dirty, cracked ceiling of the school…

It all came rushing back to her, a stream of water washing over her body. Elizabeth telling her to go to the auditorium… Cal being there and how his face glowed scarlet with rage… His fist slamming into her jaw and face repeatedly… And then Jack and his friends coming to save her.

She blinked away sudden tears and cleared her throat. The small action hurt her, and she suddenly noticed the pain. Her tongue throbbed; her head pounded like a drum; her face and nose and jaw ached horrifically. Her bottom lip quivered and she struggled to keep from crying. She had to be strong, for Jack. She knew if she cried, Jack would start too.

"What happened after I passed out?"

Jack ran a hand through his hair, exhaling deeply. "I freaked out, but the paramedics told me it'd be okay. I followed them to the hospital, and I've been here ever since. Cal was arrested and Fabi and Tommy went to the police station to give reports and such. One of the receptionists called your parents, and they came to see you for about ten minutes before leaving in disgust." He fixated his gaze on Rose's green eyes, tears seeping out of his own blue ones. His voice lowered to a barely audible whisper. "They didn't care, Rose. Your mother looked at you in disgust, like this was all your fault. I heard them talking out in the hallway after they left your room; they were bitching about Cal being in jail and having to go to trial soon because of you." Jack's voice broke as he let out a sob. "They didn't give a shit about you being in the hospital."

A few tears slipped from Rose's eyes as well, rolling slowly down her cheeks and falling onto her mint green hospital gown. "I wouldn't expect any less of them."

Jack took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. "They're paying for your hospital bills, but they… They looked at me like I was an insect and said they wouldn't be coming back to see you again."

"I don't want to see Cal." Rose stared at the end of the bed, her cries becoming a little louder—as loud as they could be without making her tongue hurt any more than it already did. "I don't want to face him at court."

"I'll do it. For you." Jack leaned forward and gently kissed her left cheek. "I'll do it for you."

She forced a smile for him, her face crumpling slightly. "I love you, Jack."

"I love you." He brought her hand to his lips and then sighed. "As for your injuries, your tongue's gonna be sore for a few days, but it'll heal. You'll have bruises on your face for a while, too, but they'll go away. The doctors said there's no permanent damage."

"Good…"

"You can be released tomorrow, probably." He smiled warmly at her, love glimmering in his eyes underneath the sorrow. "You'll come home with me."

O O O O

Rose hobbled along the bricked pathway to the front door of her house, clutching onto Jack's arm for support. The doorknocker was large and menacing to her, and she looked into Jack's eyes, silently asking him to knock for her.

He obeyed.

The door swung open, revealing Ruth's thin body and a stern expression on her face. "Well, hello." She studied Jack for a brief moment and then glared at her daughter.

"I'm here to get my stuff," Rose mumbled, already feeling another headache coming on.

"Your stuff?"

"Yes. I'm moving out."

Ruth stared at them before uttering a high-pitched laugh. "Moving out? Rosaline, you're only seventeen!"

Rose reached a hand out, gently placing it upon her mother's shoulder, and pushed her out of the way, allowing room for her and Jack to walk inside. Ruth slammed the door behind them, following them into the living room.

"I guess you've forgotten, Mother; my eighteenth birthday is this weekend." She met Ruth's gaze with confidence. "You can't do much about me leaving." Ruth looked at her in disbelief as she quietly asked Jack to help her upstairs to gather her belongings. He assisted her in climbing the long staircase, all the while Ruth standing by the mahogany coffee table, watching them with contempt in her eyes.

Jack found a set of black suitcases in Rose's closet and retrieved the items she listed off, stuffing them into the bags: all of her pairs of jeans; the band t-shirts she bought the day they spent together at the mall; her small makeup bag; her CD collection; and a few pairs of shoes and other clothing articles. He picked up the suitcases with an over-exaggerated huff, shuffling back over to Rose's side.

She looked around her bedroom for the last time, melancholy crossing her face. It was her prison, but she had spent her whole life there.

It was hard saying goodbye.

Ruth was waiting for them back downstairs, her hands on her hips and her eyebrows furrowed angrily. "Rosaline Judith, I forbid you from leaving—"

"Mother, why would you even want me here?" Rose asked exasperatedly, rubbing her temples with her thumbs and index fingers. "Jack told me how you and Father were mad that I was in the hospital. I'm nothing but a burden to both of you; so I'm leaving, going somewhere where I'm loved and wanted." She dropped her hands to her sides and stared into her mother's face, tears welling up in her emerald eyes. "It's a wonderful feeling, being loved. Something I never experienced from you, or Father, or Cal." She wrapped her arm around Jack's, who gave her a warm smile. Her heart pumped strong in her chest, giving her the strength, along with Jack, to do what she was doing. She had dreamed of this moment for so many years, of leaving and bidding her parents goodbye, and here it finally was.

"Tell Father when he comes home from work that I've left. I wish nothing but the best for both you." She nodded at her mother, whose mouth hung open at her words—_very _unladylike.

Jack and Rose ambled out of the front door and Jack closed it gently behind them. Rose exhaled deeply, her rusted chains that had bound her for her entire life finally gone, withered away into dust.

She felt so free, so liberated—and so happy, despite her physical pain. She looked at Jack as he settled in the driver's seat of his car beside her and knew that without him, none of this would have happened.

"Thank you."

He blinked at her as he stuck the key into the ignition. "For what?"

"For…everything."


	12. Home Now

**Once again, thank you to all of my reviews :] There a few notes about this chapter: **

**I had originally written chapter 12 as an ending, but reading over it this morning I realized that it was a shoddy ending and I didn't feel like Rose's and Jack's story was over just yet. I mean, Cal's arrested and Rose leaves her family and suddenly things are just peachy and amazing without any obstacles? So I'm continuing with **_**Let Me Be With You **_**and I would love feedback on this chapter to see how y'all are liking the new direction I'm going! :D **

"Describe yourself…auf Deutsch." Rose squeezed her eyes shut and embarked on a journey inside her brain, searching every crevice in hopes of finding _anything _she learned in German that semester.

Her final exam was in a week and she knew she was totally screwed.

"Um…" She opened her eyes, her lips spread into a smile—she remembered something! _"Ich habe rotes Haar und grüne Augen!"_ Picking up her pen, she scribbled the sentence into the open notebook that lay on the desk in front of her, then slumped over it in defeat.

She didn't think her professor would count just having red hair and green eyes as a good description of herself on the exam.

With a loud sigh, she got to her feet, abandoning her study session for the time being. The laughs and screams of children drifted in through an open window in the kitchen, and Rose smiled as she walked over to it and watched them play outside. She had been surprised at how warm it was in Santa Monica—Christmas was just two weeks away, yet she was able to go out wearing shorts during the day. Night was chillier, but nothing like the winter snowstorms she remembered back home.

She closed and locked the window and whirled around to grab a Dr. Pepper out of the refrigerator. The picture of her and Jack in their blue graduation gowns taped near the handle caught her attention, and she grinned as a flood of memories washed over her.

They had set out for Santa Monica the week after graduation, and Jack made money on the trip there by stopping every once in different towns and selling his drawings. They were able to buy their apartment almost as soon as they arrived in the city; it was nothing fancy, with only one bedroom and a cramped kitchen and living room, but it was _theirs _and Rose loved it.

Naturally, Jack immediately set to decorating the place by drawing Rose all over the walls—but his art wasn't the only thing that gave life to the little apartment. Rose discovered during the summer that she had a knack for painting and photography, and she had her own sections of wall where she painted beautiful landscapes and hung up her photographs of the Santa Monica sunsets and beaches.

And even though they were college students and usually low on money, they didn't need jobs—they made enough selling their artwork to afford their home and classes. It was a dream come true for Rose; no one was _giving _her anything anymore, she had to _work _for it.

She brought the soda can to her lips and savored the cold, bubbly taste on her tongue—she had never been allowed anything unhealthy in her childhood, and now she was making up for it in college. Her body had grown curvier, but Jack _loved _it and so did Rose, because it meant she could continue scarfing down burgers and pizza without feeling bad about it.

The front door swung open and Jack strolled inside the living room, his face hidden behind eight big, white roses. Rose set the Dr. Pepper on the counter and peeked around the corner into the living room, greeting her boyfriend with a surprised gasp. He grinned and ran to her, thrusting the bouquet of flowers into her hand.

"Jack! They're beautiful!"

"Just like you, baby." He leaned forward and smashes his lips into hers over and over again until she broke away with a laugh.

"Thank you, Jack. I adore them!" Rose disappeared back into the kitchen and returned with a red vase, placing it upon the desk next to her German notebook and setting the roses inside of it.

Jack stared at her open notebook, one eyebrow raised curiously. "Ick hobbe rots Har und gruns Owgen? What's that?"

Rose giggled furiously, struggling to breathe. "It means—'I have—red hair and green—eyes.'" She patted Jack's shoulder and fell into him; he stumbled backward trying to catch her.

"Why did you even take German?"

"Because my parents always made me learn French and I _hate _French."

Jack looked into Rose's pretty face and grinned, his fingers wrapping themselves around hers. "You're miles away from your parents, and yet you're still trying to rebel against them."

"I suppose you're right. Where've you been all day, anyway? Cheating on me with a sexy college senior?" She winked devilishly, trying not to laugh.

"Most definitely. You know I like the older men."

Rose's mouth fell open in laughter and Jack saw this as an opportunity to kiss her, snaking his tongue between her lips. She gave into him, leaning into his body and running her fingers through his blonde locks. Jack deepened their kiss and suddenly grabbed Rose by the waist and lifted her up; she wrapped her legs around him, her body beginning to tingle with desire.

Jack pulled his lips away, his breathing loud and fast. "Want to go to the stars now?"

_"Yes."_


	13. Waste a Moment

He hoped she didn't honestly think he was cheating on her—even though it was starting to seem that way. His Mustang rattled down the highway, a black signal to everyone that screamed, _Look! Jack Dawson has abandoned his girlfriend for the fourth day in a row!_

Perspiration pooled above his upper lip as his car pulled into an empty parking space in front of a ragged, worn down building. Jack hesitated opening the driver's door, half-expecting one of Rose's friends to pop up next to him and confront him about leaving her yet again.

_But it's for a good reason! _he would explain. _I can't tell you now, but hopefully you'll know soon if everything goes right!_

"Stop being such a freak," Jack grumbled to himself, throwing open the door and stepping out before he had a chance to change his mind. The sun warmed his skin as he padded to the paint-chipped door and pulled it open. A rush of cool air from the building's rackety AC swept over him, chilling him to the bone, and he stumbled inside, shivering.

"Mornin'!" a friendly voice called out from behind a long glass counter.

Jack turned to the voice's owner, offering the mustached man a smile. "Good morning."

"Can I help you with anything?" The man rose to his feet and leaned toward his potential customer, the ends of his gray mustache twitching as he spoke. "Anything particular you looking for?"

Jack didn't answer him for a moment, instead dropping to his haunches and staring at the rows of jewelry that rested behind the glass. Diamond necklaces, earrings, bracelets—

Rings.

The tip of his tongue poked out from between his lips, beads of sweat forming at the base of his hairline. There were simple gold bands; rings with big, extravagant chunks of rock; ones with little jewels that were pretty, but too tiny for Jack's taste.

But it wasn't what he liked, was it? He was what Rose would like.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, the faint flame of hope in his chest beginning to burn out. This was the sixth jewelry store he had visited in the last four days; he had found nothing beautiful enough for Rose in any of them, and he was praying that this one would be his lucky stop.

And then his blue gaze came upon a thin silver band with a small emerald placed upon it. His heart rate picked up speed and his eyes flew back up to the man as he jumped up.

"_This one."_

"Yes, sir." He slid back a glass door and reached inside, carefully picking up the ring and handing it over to Jack.

Jack looked at it hungrily, turning it around slowly between his thumb and index finger. It was nothing too fancy, but he knew in his gut that Rose would adore it.

"I want it."

O O O O

The car ride home seemed to last an eternity and yet only a minute. Sweat drenched the front of his Metallica t-shirt, his hands clammy and slippery as they struggled to keep a good grip on the wheel. All he knew was that he had wanted to get a ring for Rose. But now what? He hadn't the slightest clue of how to ask her the big question. Should he surprise her by dropping to one knee in mid-conversation and watch her face light up like a Christmas tree as he pulled the little box from his back pocket and popped it open? Or was he supposed to take her out to a nice dinner and ask her then?

But if he didn't ask her now, where would he put the ring so that she couldn't find it? It wasn't like their apartment was a huge home; there weren't many places he could hide it.

"Oh, God," he mumbled, trembling as pulled up to the apartment. What was he going to do?

He stayed put in his Mustang long after removing the key from his ignition, scrambling inside his mind to come up with a plan. Maybe he could just be plain about it. He'd cradle Rose's face between the palms of his hands, gazing into her gorgeous green eyes, and tell her everything he felt and how much she meant to him; then he'd slowly fall to one knee, produce the box, and open it. And Rose would stare at him in disbelief for a few moments (his heart pounding the whole time she didn't speak), and she'd scream _Yes! _and Jack would get back to his feet and throw his arms around her and take her back to the stars for the night.

Yes. That's exactly how he planned to do it.

His footsteps were heavy and slow as he approached the front door, but Rose beat him to it. She threw it open and looked into his face, almost glaring at him.

"Where do you keep _going, _Jack? You haven't told me anything in days; this isn't like you!"

His mouth hung open slightly, but no words tumbled out. Rose stood off to the side, allowing him to stumble in, and closed the door behind them.

"Jack, if you're unhappy—"

"God, no!" He grabbed Rose's wrists and pulled her into him, smashing his lips against hers. She hesitated a second before giving in, deepening their kiss until Jack broke away. Their eyes met, unseen sparks flying through the air between them.

Jack sighed contentedly and moved his hands up to her cheeks, just as he planned to. "Rose, you… You are more perfect than I could ever explain. I love waking up next to you every morning and starting my day with showers of kisses from you."

Rose blushed, a smile stretching from ear to ear.

"And I love you, more than I could ever tell you." He leaned forward and kissed her, his heart beating quickly behind his ribcage. Now was the time. Now he needed to pull away and drop to one knee—

Rose wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

Now, now, _now._

But his limbs were frozen.

The jewelry box in his back pocket began to burn a hole through his jeans, scorching his skin. The only way he could stop this was by pulling it out—

But he couldn't move. He couldn't do it.

He couldn't propose to her.

His body went limp against Rose's, and she removed her lips from his and stared at him. "Jack? Are you alright?"

He couldn't even offer her a reply.

"Jack…?"

Nothing. His lips were glued together, preventing him from producing any sound.

She dropped her hands to her sides and stepped back, an odd expression drawn on her face. "Jack, if there's something wrong… You can come talk to me about it in the bedroom."

And then she disappeared, leaving him standing alone in the living room, his brain having a meltdown in his skull and his heart screaming at him for chickening out and blowing his chance.


	14. The Wrong Time

Wednesday came and passed, as did Thursday. Jack and Rose attended their classes, cooked meals, cuddled on the couch at night and watched Adult Swim, and then fell asleep in each other's arms, just like they had done all semester. Rose thought Jack was through being weird; he had been spending time with her again and treated her like normal, but little did she know that he was fighting a war inside his mind.

Every minute he was awake, he chastised himself for not proposing to Rose Tuesday night. Even during his sleep, he dreamt of dropping to one knee and pulling out the ring box, only to open it and find it completely empty. He was ashamed of "pussying out," as he called it, and he _swore _that Friday night was _going _to be the night.

He was going to ask her to marry him tonight.

It was around six o'clock. The sun was beginning to set outside the kitchen window, coloring the sky brilliant shades of pink and orange. Rose rummaged through the refrigerator for her third soda of the day, grumbling in frustration when she couldn't find any, while Jack leaned against the counter behind her, buried in his thoughts.

Giving up on her quest for caffeine, Rose slammed the fridge door and turned to face Jack. "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Fine!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Rose, why don't you go into the living room? I'm…going to make us dinner tonight." He flashed her a charming grin, melting her heart, and she laughed.

"If you say so, Jack!" She waltzed out of the kitchen and into the living room, the sounds of the TV soon filling the air.

Now…what was he going to cook?

O O O O

"It's finished, my love!" Jack stood in the doorway of the kitchen with a huge smile on his face, extending his hand out for Rose. She gripped it and curtsied to him gracefully, giggling as he led her to the kitchen counter, where two plates of meatball spaghetti—their favorite—sat, with a long pink candle between the dishes.

"I'm so proud of you, Jack! You didn't completely roast anything or burn the kitchen!"

Jack rolled his blue eyes playfully and lit the candle with a match he had placed on the counter earlier in the evening. The small flame flickered brightly in the dimly-lit room. Rose looked at Jack, love shining in her gaze, and kissed him softly, her skin tingling as it always did when their lips met.

"I love you, Jack."

"I love _you_, Rosaline Judith."

Somehow, no matter how much she hated her full name, it sounded so beautiful coming from his lips.

Jack picked up their plates, leaving Rose to grab the candlestick holder, and the pair ventured into the living room where Rose had already set up two eating trays for their dinner. They put everything in place and flopped down next to each other on the loveseat, gripping their forks like spears and stabbing the meatballs like prey.

Rose definitely didn't miss acting like a lady, especially at mealtimes.

She stuffed a chunk of hamburger into her mouth and groaned in ecstasy. "This is amazing, Jack."

"Thanks," he replied, his mouth just as full as hers. He could feel the sparks jumping from the jewelry box in his pocket, begging to be released and presented to its future owner.

"Why'd you make this anyway? Is it some sort of special occasion or something?"

_Yes. _"Um, well—"

He was cut off by the sudden ringing of Rose's cell phone. She leapt off the couch and ran into the bedroom to answer it, leaving Jack by himself. He finished chewing his mouthful and swallowed, sticking his hand into his pocket and fingering the box. How would he do this? He knew for sure that he'd get to one knee first. And then what?

He frowned, rubbing his thumb over the box's velvety texture. What would he say? _Rose, will you marry me? _Or should he prepare a mini speech? _Rose, from the first day we met in the auditorium I knew you were something special, and my love began to grow for you that day, and it continues to grow every second that I'm with you…_

The steam from their dinner was beginning to thin out as the meal grew colder. The fire of the pink candle flickered slightly, growing less and less bright with each passing minute. Why was Rose taking so long? He hoped she wasn't gossiping with her best friend Lea, it wasn't a good time for that—

"Jack."

He jerked his head in the direction of her voice, his gaze meeting her solemn expression. "What's wrong, Rose?"

She sucked in her breath and stared at the living room carpet, her bottom lip quivering just enough for him to notice.

"Rose?" Jack got to his feet, making his way around the trays, and walked over to his girlfriend, placing his hand on the side of her neck. "What's happened?"

"My…mother. She called me."

Jack blinked at her. "Is that the problem?" Why would she get so upset over something as little as that?

"No." She shrugged away his hand, her eyes welling up with tears. "It's what she told me… My father… He passed away this morning."

They stared at each other uncomfortably as Jack tried to process the news.

"He's…dead?"

"Yes…"

"How?"

Her face crumpled and she buried her nose in Jack's chest, inhaling the scent of his musky cologne. "A heart attack." Soft sobs began to rock her body; he wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his chin on top of her messy curls, sighing. "He and my mother made my life hell for so long… But he was still my _dad!"_ She choked on her tears, coughing. "He's still…my dad…No matter what he did to me."

Jack stroked Rose's hair, singing quietly to her as she wept into his shirt. _"Come Josephine, in my flying machine, and it's up she goes, up she goes…"_

Rose began to calm down after a while, her sobbing ebbing away into just sniffles. She pulled out of Jack's embrace, rubbing her red, raw eyes with her fists, and whimpered. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"Wait!"

She stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn to face him.

"Don't you want me to lay with you?"

"I just… I just want to be by myself for right now." She disappeared into the bedroom, gently closing the door behind her. Jack could hear her weeping start up again; he sighed once more, running a hand through his blonde hair and glancing over to the cold plates of spaghetti and the now-extinguished candle.

It was starting to seem like he'd never be able to ask Rose to be his wife.


	15. Returning Home

**Thanks for all the reviews! :] I love writing this story so much and getting feedback makes it even better. I even have a sequel for this planned out already :') haha! Enjoy this chapter!**

The sky was still a deep blue littered with faintly glowing stars as the black Mustang backed out of the driveway and started down the highway for the eighteen hour drive back to Colorado Springs. Rose stared out of the window at the empty road and the passing buildings as they flew by, her face solemn and her eyes sorrowful. She had barely spoken to Jack since the finding out about her father two days ago. She didn't even go to class or study for the rapidly approaching semester finals, but she didn't seem to care. Jack assured her that they'd be back just in time for the exams, but she hadn't acknowledged his comment.

Jack cleared his throat softly and turned on the stereo. Jenna McDougall's voice filled the inside of the car, Jack singing under his breath with her.

_"I fall at the thought of us falling apart, but I swore never to use my head before I use my heart…"_

Rose couldn't help but crack a small smile and sing with him, her voice much prettier than his.

_"And then you'll keep me breathing, grant me peace through the night. My dear, I hope your dreams are sweet as real life!"_

They glanced at each other, laughing, their harmony becoming louder with each word.

_"Cause this is my favorite thing by far, and you defy everything I've ever known! But why! Do you believe in fate? Do you believe in destiny? Would you believe me, if I told you, you complete me!"_

Their singing melted away into a fit of giggles, Rose's grin so big that it was starting to hurt her cheeks.

"I love you, Jack!"

"I love you, Rosaline Judith! I'm glad to see you're not so gloomy anymore." He flashed her a handsome smile, her heart fluttering at the sight. Her fingers gripped his, pulling one hand away from the steering wheel. She brought his fingertips to her mouth, kissing each individual one gently, and chuckled quietly.

The morning sun peeked out from the horizon, greeting the world and bathing the passing buildings in an orange glow.

Rose turned to Jack and tugged at the sleeve of his plaid shirt. "How much longer 'til we're there?"

Jack shook his head, laughing to himself. "We've only been driving thirty minutes… So seventeen and a half hours."

_"Ugh."_

O O O O

Bruce and Nina, Jack's parents, ambushed the Mustang before the engine had even been shut off, pulling open the doors and attacking their visitors with happy screams. Bruce dragged his son out of the car and hugged him, slapping him on the back, while Nina nearly picked Rose up and twirled her around in the air.

"We've missed you so much!"

"God, it's so good to see you!"

"Bruce, I hope you have their room set up already—"

Rose and Jack looked at each other and burst into awkward laughter, wriggling out of his parents' embraces and grabbing their suitcases out of the backseat.

"Thanks for letting us stay here, Mom and Dad," Jack said as the four ventured into the small house. He hadn't realized how much he was shivering until the living room's warmth enveloped him, washing away the cold from outside; he had forgotten that it would be snowing back home. Rose set down her suitcase next to the couch and rubbed her arms frantically, her teeth chattering loudly.

"Oh, dear, I'll get you a coat!"

"No, Nina, I'll be fine in a few minutes—"

Jack's mother vanished upstairs and soon reappeared with a thick, wool jacket.

"Nina, I'm okay—"

She placed the jacket on Rose's shoulders, patting her on the back, and Bruce and Jack chuckled.

It was already ten-thirty when they had arrived, and by eleven the girls couldn't even keep their eyelids open, so they retreated to bed, leaving Jack and his dad alone on the couch together. Jack glanced nervously at Bruce, his heart beating like a drum against his ribcage.

"Dad, can I show you something…?"

Bruce blinked at him. "Of course, son."

Jack shoved his hand into his front pocket and pulled out the velvet box, popping it open and reaching it out to his father. Bruce's brown eyes widened, his bushy eyebrows flying up on his forehead.

"Wow, son, that's _pretty. _Is that an emerald?"

He grinned and snapped the box closed, stuffing it back into his pocket. "Yes, sir! It reminded me of her eyes, and she's not a diamond girl anyway. I think she'll like it."

"When are you going to ask her?"

Jack sighed heavily and shrugged. "I always chicken out."

"I did the same thing too, for a year almost." Bruce laughed at the distant memory, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. "It'll be fine, Jack. You can do it. She's a great girl."

"She really is."

O O O O

The limo's tires crunching against the gravel as it peeled out of the parking lot distracted Cal from his thoughts, until his father coughed and brought him back to reality.

"You're damn lucky, Caledon, that I have such power. You'd be rotting in a jail cell still if it wasn't for my good name."

Cal gave a curt nod, forcing a smile on his face. "Thank you again, Father."

Nathan Hockley grumbled and stuffed a cigar between his lips, lighting it with a match and then blowing foul-smelling smoke out of his nostrils. "Damn lucky, kid. You better straighten up, because next time I'll leave you there for your whole sentence. Beating a girl, Caledon?"

His son averted his gaze to his newly polished shoes, his heartbeat slowing in his chest. He couldn't find the words to speak.

"Keeping your woman in line _is _important, and nothing's wrong with a slap or two, but you can't _beat _them, Caledon. This isn't the nineteenth century anymore, it's looked down upon now, and actions like that coming from you tarnish our name."

"I won't do it again, Father."

"You better fuckin' not. I'll have your goddamn head on a platter, you hear me, son?"

The smoke curled around Cal's face, causing him to wrinkle his nose in disgust. "You have my word, Father."

"Good." Nathan fell into a brief coughing fit, then cleared his throat and spit up into an empty champagne glass. Cal grimaced. "John Dewitt-Bukater died. Heart attack. Old bastard finally kicked the bucket."

Cal stared his father in the face, his mouth hanging open slightly. "He died?"

"Yes. The funeral's in a few days. You can't go though, you understand? I figure Rosaline will be in town, and she'll throw a fit if you're there at her daddy's funeral, you hear me? You stay away."

"Yes sir," Cal mumbled, though he hadn't heard anything Nathan had told him.


	16. Feel So Numb

Snow drifted down from the gray sky, tiny flakes landing on Rose's shoulders and in her fiery hair. She pulled her black coat tighter around her body, her teeth chattering just loud enough for Jack to hear. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and she laid her head on his shoulder, biting her bottom lip to hold back her cries. The robed minister up ahead of the crowd droned on and on about her father, clutching his Bible close to his chest and raising his voice with each word. The "good deeds" he claimed John Dewitt-Bukater had performed throughout his life were nothing but stunts to land him in the newspaper, but Rose kept this fact to herself, whimpering quietly. Jack kissed the top of her head and whispered in her ear, but she couldn't hear him past the thoughts blaring in her head.

_You can cry, Rose, it's okay—_

_ But that man was such a monster!_

_ He's still your dad, and he still cared for you… Even though his "love" was nothing to write home about._

_ Why are you even here? You spent years trying to break away from your parents, and you finally did; so why'd you come back?_

_ To give my father a final goodbye._

Her mother's bright red hair was visible at the front of the crowd, a black veil sitting atop her head and a designer coat clinging to her thin body. Rose rolled her eyes; God, even at her own husband's funeral she had to be dressed as if she was worth a million dollars. She hadn't even bothered to search for her daughter before the ceremony started, and Rose knew she wouldn't afterwards either.

"You okay, baby?" Jack murmured, his blue eyes locked on her face.

She gave him a silent nod.

"John lived a good life!" the balding minister yelled over the dozens of heads, raising his Bible high in the air. A few snowflakes coated the book; the minister quickly wiped them off and then began reciting scripture, the crowd repeating it after him. "And we will now tell our friend goodbye, and let him rest in peace!"

The gray casket began to slowly lower into the opened ground beneath it. Rose was unable to hold back any longer; her tears spilled over, flowing down her pale cheeks like rivers. Jack rested his chin on her shoulder, squeezing her hip gently and sighing.

Cal Hockley hadn't heard anything the minister had said throughout the entire ceremony and hadn't even noticed the lowering of the casket, for he was too busy staring at the redhead that stood just yards ahead of him. His black hat hung low on his head, covering his entire forehead and the top half of his eyebrows. His brown eyes were nearly boring holes in the back of Rose's head, his blood bubbling underneath his skin. Nathan had warned him to stay away from the funeral, but he just _couldn't; _he _had _to see Rose.

And even Cal could hear Ruth's sudden sobbing as the casket finally reached the bottom of the hole.

O O O O

"Dad and I already put the suitcases in the trunk, so if you want to head back home now, we can." Jack stroked Rose's fingers with his own, smiling at her, though she wasn't paying attention. She responded with another nod and allowed herself to be led back to the Mustang.

"We won't be home for eighteen hours, though, love. Are you okay with that? That's an awful long drive."

She buckled her seatbelt and waved her hand at him before turning her gaze to the white-topped gates and headstones outside.

_Bye, Dad. I loved you, you know. And I forgive you._

O O O O

The old, ebony Mustang turned onto the highway and picked up speed, unaware of the Mercedes following close behind. The driver gripped the wheel so hard his knuckles turned white, his breathing almost deafening inside his car.

"Rose is mine, Dawson. And I'll get her back, don't worry."

**Sorry it's so short, guys! :[ Hope y'all still enjoyed it!**


	17. The Battle Finally Ends

**As always, thank you so much for the reviews! :D**

It was five-thirty in the morning when Jack quietly closed the door behind him, careful not to rouse Rose from her sleep. He tiptoed to their bedroom with her snoring softly in his arms and placed her gently on the bed before beginning to unpack. He had bought a pack of Starbucks frappuccinos at a gas station around nine p.m. and had drank all four bottles by three a.m., so he was feeling too wired to even try to sleep. After putting away all of their clothes and their suitcases, Jack silently closed the bedroom door and set up a canvas in the living room to begin a painting. Not in the mood to sketch an outline, he instead dipped the hairs of his brush into a goop of red paint and splashed the color onto the blank paper in front of him. Crimson dots splattered the sheet; Jack washed out his brush in a bowl of water and then tried the technique with violet paint. He hadn't the faintest idea what he was creating, but so far he thought it looked interesting.

The living room's silence was almost deafening, but Jack didn't want to run the risk of waking up Rose by turning on the radio; she needed her sleep, especially after the funeral and the long drive back home.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught slight—_very _slight—movement. He jerked his head up from the canvas, his ears perked and his senses on high alert. Across the room, the gold doorknob turned just the tiniest bit; if Jack had blinked, he would've missed it. He set his paintbrush on the coffee table and silently rose to a standing position, his limbs beginning to stiffen from fright.

The doorknob turned again, all the way to the right, and someone on the other side of the door begin to tug on it forcefully. It rattled loudly; Jack froze in place.

_What the hell was going on?_

The large door suddenly burst open, swinging back and smashing into a windowsill. Jack gulped, taking a step back. A tall figure stormed into the apartment, the top half of its face hidden underneath a black hat.

"Dawson, I've come to take back what belongs to _me."_

_ Cal._

Jack found his courage and stomped up to the intruder, his blue eyes blazing with rage. _"Get out, you bastard."_

"I'm not here to play games." Cal's large hands met Jack's chest and shoved him back, sending him falling backwards. His arms flew out before he landed, knocking over the canvas; the paint crashed to the floor, staining the gray carpet with vibrant colors.

Cal's face burned with anger, his brown eyes almost red in his skull. _"Give me Rose."_

Jack glared up at him from where he lay sprawled. _"She's not a fucking toy, Hockley!" _He got to his feet and spat in Cal's right eye, resulting in a horrified shriek.

The bedroom door creaked open and Rose's sleepy face peeked out, her red hair tangled and messy. "What's going on?"

"Rose, get back!" Jack screamed, his hand contorting into a raised fist as his gaze fixated on Cal.

"I've come to get you, Rose." The intruder flashed her a grin.

Jack's fist met Cal's jawline, causing him to stumble back a few steps in surprise. He stared at Jack for a long while before his hand reached into the pocket of his trousers and produced a gleaming pistol.

Jack's breath caught in his throat. Rose's eyes bugged out of her head, and she shrank back into the bedroom.

"Cal. Listen. This doesn't need to happen—"

A gunshot pierced the air, slicing through the heavy tension in the room. Jack let out a bloodcurdling screech and crumpled to the floor, scarlet waves gushing from his lower half onto the already-tarnished carpet.

Cal smirked at him, fingering the trigger of the gun.

The smile was wiped off of his face as another shot cut through Jack's screaming.

O O O O

Everything was so white it almost blinded Rose—the tiled floors, the walls, the doctor's coats. She stared at her bare feet, her chest rising and falling so slowly one would think she was almost dead.

And at that moment, she felt like she was. She would rather be dead than have to deal with what was going on.

What had she _done? _

If she had just stayed with Cal, _nothing _would have happened. Her beautiful romance with Jack wouldn't exist, she knew that, but that was almost worth losing to her. If she had stayed with Cal, her parents wouldn't have hated her more than they already had, she would still have more than one friend, Cal wouldn't have beat her so badly she ended up in the hospital, and he wouldn't have followed her all the way to California and shot Jack…

If she had just stayed with Cal, Jack would be _okay._

A single tear slipped out of her left eye and trickled down her nose. She had never realized before how much she impacted Jack's life; if it was up to just him, would they have even gone to Santa Monica? What had _he _wanted to do with his life before Rose waltzed in and screwed everything up?

She had never thought to ask him, never thought to learn about his dreams and goals and plans.

And when she rummaged through her mind more, she found that she didn't even really _know _much about Jack. She knew his birthday and his favorite bands and his favorite art styles, but she had never asked him about his childhood or his older sister and the rest of his family.

Hell, she didn't even _know _what his sister's name was.

What kind of person was she? What kind of a _girlfriend _was she?

"Miss Dewitt-Bukater?"

Rose forced herself to look away from her feet. A short, big-nosed doctor stared at her with piercing green eyes and motioned for her to get up and follow her lead. She obeyed, tagging along behind the woman until they reached the opening of a long hallway, away from most of the patients and roaming nurses.

The doctor turned to face Rose and lowered her voice to a soft whisper. "Miss Dewitt-Bukater, Jack Dawson is out of surgery, but he's not awake just yet. The bullet tore a muscle in his leg pretty badly, but he _will _recover; however, it will be a long journey, and he's going to need a lot of support."

Rose nodded. "I can do that." She was surprised to hear her own voice.

The dark-haired woman sighed then and fell silent, as if she was trying to find the right words in her head.

The words for _what?_

"As for Mr. Cal Hockley, he… The bullet that hit him was lodged in his lung. The surgeons worked very hard, but… He did not survive. I'm sorry, Miss Dewitt-Bukater."

Rose let out an almost inhuman cry, her knees buckling underneath her weight and sending her crashing to the floor. The doctor dropped the clipboard she had been carrying and knelt beside Rose, rubbing her arm comfortingly and murmuring quietly to her, but the blood rushing through her ears was too loud for her to hear.

Cal… Cal was _dead._

_ What had she done?_


	18. Nobody Wins

**Hey guys! I'm so glad y'all liked the last chapter! :D Thanks so much for the reviews!**

**Yesterday my Austrian friend and I went to a Titanic exhibit nearby and it was so cool! There were replicas of a first-class hall and room and a third-class hall and room. There was an old hat in the first class room that looked just like Rose's in the beginning of the movie! My Austrian friend was so excited at some parts that she couldn't even speak English so we were sputtering German at each other, haha. There were several really neat artifacts (money, a piece of the ship's hull, and first-class china, to name a few), but what interested me the most was a pair of trousers and a matching vest, because they were so intact, you would never have guessed that they had been on the ocean floor for decades. And the gift shop, omg! I wanted to buy **_**everything! **_**But I just settled on a 100****th**** anniversary t-shirt and a bracelet with a charm that looks like the Heart of the Ocean :] Anyway, sorry for such a long author's note, I just wanted to share my excitement with people that understood my obsession! Enjoy the chapter! :]**

It was a weird scene to him. The last time he had been in a hospital, it was Rose that was lying in the stiff bed with a horrible look of pain on her face; but now, it was him. Jack struggled to shift his body weight into a more comfortable position, but a spark of excruciating pain shot up his leg, and he instantly dropped himself back onto the mattress, grinding his teeth together in an effort to keep from crying out.

Rose slowly turned her face away from the window and towards him, her green eyes dull and without emotion. She blinked at Jack, taking a couple of steps towards him, and gingerly touched his right hand. Her touch was ice cold; Jack flinched away, whimpering and smashed the back of his head against his pillow, groaning.

"I hate this."

Rose chose not to acknowledge his comment and gracefully twirled away from the bed to sit into a guest chair close to the window. Two bluebirds jumped around on the windowsill outside, chirping merrily, oblivious to the physical and emotional pain just on the other side of the glass.

"Did you just wake up, Jack?"

He couldn't help but notice that her voice was clipped, forced. "Yeah. I want to go home, Rose. I just want to lay in my own bed."  
"I'm sorry." Her gaze locked on the birds outside, and Jack saw her bottom lip tremble slightly. "Cal—"

"I can't believe you shot him, Rose!" he interrupted, his blue eyes growing wide.

Her body stiffened.

"I don't know what I would've done without you. You saved my life. Thank God I decided to bring my pistol to California with us—"

"He's dead, Jack."

He cocked his head, blinking at her even though she wasn't paying attention to him. One of the birds spread his wings and took off, soaring into the sky, his belly skimming the tops of trees in the park near the hospital. The brown leaves rustled in the wind behind him, and Rose wished now more than ever that she could be one of those birds so that she could fly away whenever things started to fall down around her—like now.

"That's a good thing, right, Rose? Now he won't be around to bother us anymore. For God's sake, he beat you so bad you could barely walk for days, and he fuckin' _shot _me—"

_"Shut up." _Rose's face whirled away from the window, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "He's _dead, _Jack. Because of me." Her voice became almost inaudible, her words scratchy and hoarse as they crawled out of her mouth. _"I killed him, Jack."_

The blonde boy stared at her, a hint of hurt in his gaze. "Rose, he was about to kill me—"

_"But I killed him!"_

Scarlet crept into his cheeks as his eyebrows furrowed angrily. "Rose, he would've killed both of us, and you _know _it—"

_"Jack, he's fucking dead, and it's all my fault! I killed a man, don't you understand!"_

An elder woman in scrubs stuck her head into the hospital room, her mouth agape and her gray eyes gleaming with shock. "Ma'am! I am going to have to ask you to leave here, your language is very inappropriate—"

"Whatever." Rose leapt to her feet and stormed out of the room, not even bothering to toss Jack a goodbye glance.

He stared after her, long after she was gone and the nurse closed the door and he was alone with his pain and his thoughts.

Jack needed his Rose now more than ever, and he wasn't sure she was going to be there.


	19. The Days I Recall Being Wonderful

**As always, a big thank you to all my lovely readers and reviewers :D I love you all!**

_"Prick your finger, it is done…"_

She raised the cigarette to her lips, her heart barely beating in her chest.

_"The moon has now eclipsed the sun…"_

Her eyelids shut, hiding away the bright rays of the morning sun, and her lungs filled with the heavy smoke. She felt so hollow, so detached from this world, like she was stranded on another planet, all alone.

Alone. A perfect word. She was right back to square one—lonely, confused, empty. It was as if meeting Jack had never happened. She had never fallen in love with him, never moved to Santa Monica with him, never felt so free and loved…

_"The angel has spread its wings…"_

It was as if Jack never liberated her.

She opened her eyes, slowly blowing the smoke into the chilly air, and tapped the cigarette with her finger, watching the ash fall to the concrete. She'd have to go back inside soon and tend to Jack.

_"The time has come for better things."_

Reluctantly, Rose tossed the cigarette to the ground, stamping it out, and pulled out her earphones. She scanned her surroundings, noting how the nearby trees were nearly bare, with only a few brown leaves clinging to the branches.

She felt like one of those dead leaves—struggling to hang on and not be blown away by everything.

When she was younger and autumn was beginning to melt away into winter, she would say nature was going to sleep; her mother would say it was dying.

And for once in her life, she agreed with her mother.

As her spirit inside was dying, everything around her was, too. The birds no longer sang as dawn broke; the temperature grew colder and colder every day; the sky turned grayer and grayer each morning.

She tried not to think about it, but she couldn't help it. Sometimes she'd be lying in bed with her back to Jack, curled up under her favorite fuzzy blanket, singing softly to herself, when it'd hit her: _Cal's dead._ And she'd break into great, heaving sobs, and Jack would scramble to try to pull her into his arms, and she'd shove him away, her skin burning at his touch. She was disgusting, she was a murderer; she didn't deserve anyone's comfort, anyone's sympathy.

_What had she done?_

Rose turned and opened the front door, the warmth of the living room embracing her as she walked inside. Shrugging off her Behemoth hoodie and tossing it to the colorfully-stained carpet, she padded into the bedroom to check on Jack, who was sleeping. His left leg, hidden under a thick cast, was propped up on a stack of pillows, and his head was tilted to the side, his mouth opened slightly. The surgeons initially thought the bullet had torn apart a muscle, but it had actually shattered a bone; Jack still wasn't happy about that, but he had broken bones before, so he understood the process. The doctors constantly reassured them in the hospital that it would heal and that he was lucky to only be shot in the leg.

But Cal wasn't so lucky.

She sighed softly and gently sat on the other side of the bed so as not to disturb Jack. His soft snores drifted into the air; before, Rose would giggle like a madman every time she heard the sound because she found it so cute, but now she just stared blankly at his face, her thoughts dead and her heart heavy with sadness.

How had everything ended up like this?

**oooooo**

_She was feeling sexy, feeling frisky in the short, tight black dress that hugged her curves and showed off all the right places. So what if she was just sixteen? Her friends dressed like this all the time, and, after all, her mother always encouraged her to be more like her friends._

_ Miranda gripped her hand and pulled her away to the other side of the crowded room, her breath stinking of cheap liquor and her eyes bloodshot. "See that guy over there, Rose?"_

_ Rose's gaze followed her extended index finger until it landed on a tall, dark-haired guy holding a champagne glass in his hand. He was chattering away with one of Elizabeth's ex-boyfriends, his lips spread into a charming smile, and Rose's skin tingled at the sight of him._

_ "That's Caledon Hockley, right?"_

_ "Yeah, call him Cal. He told Elizabeth who told me that he thinks you're pretty." Miranda winked at her. "Go get him!" _

_ Rose stared at her for a moment before they both burst into laughter and she sashayed over to him after making sure her hair was in place and her breasts were being shown off nicely. Cal turned away from his friend almost instantly and gave his full attention to Rose._

_ "Hello, Miss Dewitt-Bukater. You're looking…lovely tonight."_

_ She smirked, her fingers finding the hem of his shirt and tugging on it slightly. The annoying upbeat music pumping through the speakers and the drunken screaming of the other partiers faded away into silence until it became just Rose and Cal, their eyes locked on each other's and their hearts racing in unison._

_ He bent forward, his lips almost touching Rose's earlobe. "Shall I take you upstairs?"_

_ She replied with a quick nod._

_ She had made out with boys before, of course, but sex was something entirely different. At first, she was sure she wanted it, so sure of her pounding heartbeat and the flapping of butterfly wings in her stomach, and she willingly tugged off her dress and tossed it to the floor as Cal's hungry eyes drank in her naked body. She voiced no objection when his mouth found her breasts and his hands explored her in places she never imagined; in fact, she encouraged him. And when he laid her on the bed and pushed himself into her, she shoved aside the pain and tried so hard to convince herself that this was really what she wanted._

_ After that, Rose and Cal were an "item." He took her out on expensive dates and complimented her every day; hell, almost every hour. And she took no time falling for him. He was perfect, it seemed, and she felt freer than she ever had before in her life._

_ But she learned soon enough that that wasn't the case. _

_ They had been dating five months when Cal slapped her for the first time. Rose had trouble sleeping the night before and was grumpy all day, and when she accidentally snapped at him for something, he promptly raised his hand and struck her across the face. She was stunned and sat in his car in silence for the rest of the drive, and when she arrived home, she ran upstairs and sobbed for the entire night. This wasn't her Cal, was it? She loved him, so he couldn't possibly be like this, could he?_

_ But did she really love him? Or did she just pretend to because she felt so alone in her life?_

_ And of course, everything just went downhill after that. For the next year and a half, she cowered in fear every time his brown eyes blazed with anger and his hands balled up into fists. She spent nights lying awake, thinking of lies to explain her bruises the next day to her parents and her friends, though they barely paid attention anyway. _

_ Then she met Jack, who showed her how to love and how to truly be loved. He reminded her every morning when he woke up that she was the most perfect thing in his life and sang loudly to rock songs with her and made her pancakes in the shapes of dinosaurs and cats and tried to hold her every night, even now, though he was injured and it pained him to contort his body._

_ But she found herself wondering, why didn't she appreciate it anymore?_


	20. A Slow Death

"Rose?"

_"You know, Rose, I could give you everything you wanted."_

_ "I know."_

"Rose…?"

_"But you just have to obey me, you understand? You can't make me angry anymore."_

"ROSE!"

She snapped back to reality, her eyes quickly focusing on Jack's red face in front of her. He leaned forward from where he sat on the couch, his lip curling slightly from the pain in his leg as he moved. "Rose, will you bring me my crutches? They're in the bedroom."

She nodded absently, her feet guiding her down the hallway and her hands retrieving the silver crutches from where they were propped against Jack's nightstand.

Her thoughts were anywhere but there, though.

"Thank you." Jack gripped the handles so tight his knuckles turned white as he struggled to push himself up off of the couch. Rose stood by the TV, her gaze locked on her boyfriend but her mind's eye somewhere else entirely…

**oooo**

_"Don't you know I love you?" Cal propped himself up on his elbow, his brown eyes scanning Rose's face for any trace of emotion. She stared back at him, her fingers pulling the covers tighter around her naked body. Shame and annoyance bubbled in her veins._

_ "Rose…"_

_ "I know, Cal." Her skin continued to crawl, even though they had long ago finished. His eyes screamed for more, lust burning in his irises, but she had already unwillingly given in to him once today, and she was not planning on a second time._

_ Tucking the covers under her arms, she gingerly stepped out of bed, pulling the blankets along with her and leaving Cal cold and nude on the mattress. She hurriedly covered as much of her body as she could and set to picking up her clothes off the floor, while Cal watched her hungrily. His tanned skin was pulled tightly over toned muscles, his dark hair messy and tangled from their adventure; he was gorgeous, yes, but his personality was so mean and nasty that Rose couldn't even see his beauty anymore. _

_ He became more and more of a monster every day._

_ Her lavender sundress hung loosely on her thin frame, hiding her curves and some of the bruises on her upper arms from the day before, when she had accidentally cussed at Cal. Rose stared at her reflection in the mirror across from Cal's bed—dull eyes sunken in her skull, red curls limp and greasy, her skin pale, yet dotted with random blotches of black and blue. She vaguely remembered being more beautiful before, but that seemed like such a long time ago. _

_ Or had she ever been beautiful? Maybe she had just never noticed herself in the past; after all, no one had ever made much of an effort to tell her she was pretty. _

_ Cal's hands appeared over hers, his bare torso pressing against her clothed back. "I love you, Rose," he murmured in her ear, his breath hot and heavy._

_ But there wasn't an inkling of truth in his words, and both of them knew it._

**oooo**

Ruth may have been a horrid woman, but Jack found himself thanking God for her as his rough fingers flipped through the stack of bills on the kitchen counter. He was unable to get out and sell his drawings and Rose did nothing but lay in bed staring at the ceiling all day, so Ruth's generous donation of money to the couple every week was the only thing keeping them afloat. College, of course, was no longer an option; Jack and Rose both dropped out, though Jack seemed to be the only one who cared. He vowed to himself that once he was healed and had enough money, he'd enroll again and finish his degree.

Rose was a different story.

He knew that guilt had settled in her heart like an unwelcome house guest, but he never expected it to eat away at her like it had been doing. It was hard enough to deal with a shattered leg and a shortage of money, but watching Rose die a little each day made it all the worse. She had gotten so skinny that on the rare occasions when she showered and changed her clothes, Jack could count every rib under her ghostly skin. Her eyes were large and glassy and always somewhere else—where, he hadn't a clue. She hardly opened her mouth to speak anymore; most days, she didn't even get out of bed. She shrank away at his touch now, her body curling into itself when his fingers even brushed her accidentally.

It was almost enough to make him wish Cal _had _killed him, because it would be so much better than witnessing Rose deteriorate.

With a loud sigh, he tossed the thick envelopes back onto the tiled counter and grabbed his crutches to take himself back into the living room. Giant splotches of color still stained the gray carpet, a grim reminder of the night that had changed everyone's life. Jack plopped down onto the couch, his energy drained like a dead battery, and tears suddenly sprung to his blue eyes, a single one spilling over and trickling down his cheek.

He couldn't keep doing this. He couldn't keep handling this.

Rose stumbled into the room, her eyes wide and bloodshot, the Marilyn Manson t-shirt that used to hug her curves now hanging on her body like a massive trash bag. It was one of the shirts she had bought at the mall that day with Jack; a happy memory that now seemed to haunt the both of them.

Their gazes met hesitantly, and Jack's silent tears burst into loud sobs. Rose blinked at him for a minute before slowly walking towards him and sitting next to him, her thin fingers tracing circles on his back the way they used to do whenever he was distressed.

She fought to keep herself in the present, with Jack, she fought to keep herself away from the memories of Cal, she fought just to keep herself awake—

Everything was just a battle to her now.

"Rose, I can't—" Jack blubbered, burying his face in her neck. Her body stiffened at first, but she forced herself to wrap her arms around his torso, her own eyes beginning to water.

"I can't do this anymore."

"I'm sorry, Jack." Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, but it seemed deafening in the unsettling silence next to Jack's weeping. "I'm sorry…"

"You need to get help, Rose."

_You don't understand. _"I—"

Jack pulled away, grimacing in pain at the sudden motion. "You're killing yourself, Rose!"

"Cal—"

_"Cal deserved to die, Rose! He was going to kill me and he put you through hell!" _Rose trembled in fright, but Jack ignored it. _"And now I need you, and I can't keep watching you do this to yourself!"_

Her stomach screamed for food, as if to further prove Jack's point.

Rose's voice stuck in her throat, her words trapped inside. She stared at Jack sadly, her formerly plump, pink lips now pale and quivering. Help? Nobody _could _help her. She was shutting down from the inside out, and she didn't think anyone could stop that—

"I love you, Rose, but I can't do this. If you don't get help, I'll…I'll leave."


	21. All of This

**It's really been 12 days since I updated? :c Ahh! I'm sorry everyone, but thank you for all the lovely reviews. I don't own the songs they sing, nor Rose and Jack. Enjoy :]**

_"I love you, I love you," Jack whispered, his blue eyes drinking in Rose's sleeping beauty and his fingers tracing circles on the small of her back. A smile broke across his face as the sun's rays streamed in through his window and illuminated Rose, making her fiery hair seem to glow and dusting her eyelashes with light. _

_ She was just too beautiful._

_ It was a month now since he had first met her, but he knew that God had made him so that he could spend his life loving this woman. Waking up next to her was a blessing in and of itself, but being able to spend almost every minute of the day with her—excluding the few hours they spent at high school—was simply amazing, and he couldn't wait to grow old with her._

_ Rose began to stir and blinked open her eyes, meeting Jack's grinning face. _

_ "Good morning, my love."_

_ She gave him a small smile and buried her face in his neck, inhaling his musky scent. "Morning." _

_ "I love you!" he laughed, kissing the top of her messy curls. "You know that, Mrs. Dawson?" _

_ "I'm not Mrs. Dawson yet, sir," she mumbled into his skin, her voice heavy with sleep._

_ "You will be, babe. The first thing I do after I graduate college is make you my wife."_

_ "I'd love that, Jack."_

Jack blinked at the ceiling from he lay on the stiff couch, his injured leg propped up high and his arms folded under his head. Had it really been so long ago since that memory occurred? Only six months, but it felt like a hundred years.

Everything seemed to have changed.

He knew the day he met Rose in the auditorium after startling her that she was something extraordinary, something special—a diamond in the rough. The way her green eyes sparkled fiercely and how her tongue spit out ferocious words like poison captivated him; he loved her strong spirit the minute she yelled at him.

But now, look at her. She was withering away into dust, and soon the wind would just blow her away and she'd be completely gone. Nothing left of her but smelly t-shirts and empty Dr. Pepper cans that littered the bedroom floor and her Suave lavender-scented shampoo in the shower.

She'd just be gone. And he'd be alone.

Tears welled up in his eyes; he didn't bother to blink them away.

He missed her. His Rose, the woman he thought he'd spend his life with, was almost a stranger now.

A loud sob erupted from his throat and one hand flew out from under his head to cover his face as he wept.

He missed her.

**oooo**

In the bedroom, Rose sat on the mattress with her back pressed against the wall, her eyes staring at their artwork tacked on the wall across the room: her photographs of the Santa Monica waves crashing, Jack's drawing of her sleeping, her painting of her and Jack laughing.

Had things really changed so much?

_Rose's voice bellowed out of her mouth, her fingers reaching out to turn up the radio as loud as it could go and her hips swaying side to side._

_ "I'm leavin', never looking back again, I found somebody who does it better than he can," she sang loudly over the music, throwing her hands up in the air. Jack stared at her from the kitchen, his lips stretched in his goofy, lop-sided grin; he hated pop music, but it was so cute when Rose sang to it. _

_ "Rose, I thought you hated this song?"_

_ She stopped dancing and smiled widely at him. "I do! But you can't dance to Slayer or Bullet for my Valentine, can you?"_

_ Laughing, he strutted out from the kitchen and into the living room to turn off the radio and play the CD in the stereo instead. A guitar riff all too familiar to Rose and Jack cut through the sudden silence, and they looked at each other with big grins. They both opened their mouths and screamed the words, never breaking eye contact._

_ "Well, if you wanted honesty, that's all you had to say! I'd never want to let you down or have you go, it's better off this way! For all the dirty looks, the photographs your boyfriend took; remember when you broke your foot from jumping out the second story?"_

_ They broke into exaggerated, wild dancing, their arms swinging every way and their hair flying around and getting tangled, all the while singing horribly._

_ "I'm not okay! I'm not okay! I'm not okay, you wear me out!"_

Rose found herself smiling at the fairly recent memory; something she hadn't done in a long time. Her mouth fell back into a thin line, her heavy eyes closing slightly.

She missed Jack.

But she knew that it was her fault that things had changed; how could she fix it though? She couldn't bring Cal back to life; she couldn't repair Jack's leg; she couldn't force herself to climb up out of the black hole she had fallen into.

Would she be like this forever? Staring at walls, living her life in flashes of memories? Watching weight melt off of her bones with each passing week, feeling her energy drain more and more until it was tiring just getting out of bed?

She couldn't do this. She knew she couldn't do this. She'd die.

Jack's crutches scratching against the wood-paneled floor of the hallway drifted into the bedroom, and his face popped inside, but she didn't turn to look at him.

"Fabrizio is in Santa Monica for a few days, and he wanted to see me, so I'll be out tonight. I'll be home before morning."

Rose offered no reply. He disappeared, and she heard the front door close and lock.

She was alone, but did it really make any difference? She ignored Jack all the time anyway.

_Jack. _Her baby, the light of her life, the man she thought she was going to spend her life with. How could she keep doing this to him, making him miserable and listening to him cry himself to sleep on the couch every night?

She was despicable; the worst kind of person. And she knew that. It resounded in her ears, her heart, her bones, her blood every single day. Her body screamed that she was horrible; her head pounded with anger and sorrow and guilt constantly.

Glancing around the room, she discovered for the first time that it was filthy: Dr. Pepper cans covered the carpet, Jack's clothes were strewn across the floor and the hamper, dust was making itself at home on the dresser. Rose sighed and shifted her body closer to the edge of the bed, her feet dangling above the floor.

She could clean up, right? She had enough energy do to _that, _didn't she? And wouldn't it be just a small accomplishment, but an accomplishment nevertheless?

Her feet hit the carpet and she slowly bent over to begin picking up the half-dozen soda cans living on the floor. Her spine screeched in pain from the sudden, unusual movement, but Rose pushed it into the back of her mind. Placing the cans on top of the nightstand, she then set out to retrieving Jack's clothes to dump them in the laundry basket.

She threw a blue hoodie onto the unmade bed and then her fingers grabbed a pair of his trousers—but they were weighed down slightly. Her body froze for a minute before curiosity took over her, and one hand dove into a front pocket…

…And pulled out a small, velvet box.


	22. Slept So Long Without You

**Hey guys, thanks so much for the reviews! :] I love all of my readers to bits. **

**I also just began (re)writing a new fic, **_**A Dream Come True, **_**I'd love if y'all checked it out!**

**Enjoy this chapter everyone!**

Rose's breath caught in her throat. _Could it be…? _She turned the box over and over between her fingers, the soft velvet brushing against her skin and sending sparks down her arms.

_It really couldn't be…_

Hesitantly she stuck the tip of her nail underneath the lid of the box and lifted it open. Inside, resting on a small navy cushion, was a thin silver-banded ring with an emerald stone attached to it.

_Emerald. _She couldn't help the smile that graced her lips so beautifully, an action that felt so foreign to her now. Of course only Jack would know that she had a love for emeralds, not diamonds. When her and Cal had talked about marriage, he proclaimed that he'd buy her a ring with the most enormous diamond he could find; but Jack knew what she wanted.

Jack knew, and he loved her. He _loved _her. Cal had _never _loved her.

And for the first time in weeks, the thought of Cal didn't send her spiraling into depression and tears.

She smiled at the ring again, her eyes becoming red and watery. _Jack. _How could she have put him through so much pain? He loved her; he needed her. And she needed him, more than she had dared to admit to herself.

The front door creaked open and Jack's swearing as he stumbled over one of his crutches drifted down the hallway, and Rose hurriedly threw open the drawer of the nightstand and tossed the jewelry box inside. It crashed against a CD case and fell to the bottom of the drawer, resting between an empty eyeshadow tin and a pack of cigarettes.

"Rose?"

She slammed the drawer and whirled around to meet Jack standing in the doorframe. Her smile returned.

"Hi, Jack. Have fun?"

He stared at her with a cocked head for a second before grinning. "Yes." It was _so _good to see at least a little life in her cheeks again. "What are you doing in here?"

"Um…cleaning up." She gestured nervously to the Dr. Pepper cans atop the nightstand and his dirty clothes lying on the bed. "I was tidying up." Swiftly she gathered all of the cans in her arms and ran past him, down the hall, and into the kitchen, dumping them in the garbage can before reappearing in the bedroom to collect his clothes and transfer them to the hamper in the hall.

"Rose!" Jack grabbed her forearm the second time she raced past him, bringing her to a screeching halt. "I love you."

The familiar butterflies erupted in her stomach, gigantic and energetic. The clothes fell out of her arms, landing in a heap on the carpet, but she didn't notice; her gaze was locked on Jack's, her heart thumping wildly against her ribs. "I love you." The words felt so perfect on her lips.

Jack leaned his crutches against the wall and bent forward, brushing his mouth against Rose's. She gasped against his kiss, her hands flying up to his blond hair and her bony fingers tangling themselves in his locks. His own hands soon found her hips, squeezing them and pulling them closer to him as his tongue snaked between her lips and sent electricity coursing all throughout Rose's body.

"Jack—"

He silenced her with a deeper kiss, one of his hands gripping the hem of her t-shirt and beginning to lift it off of her skinny body. Rose's red curls were oily and stuck to her scalp, her skin frighteningly pale and cold, but Jack couldn't tell the difference between her now and the previous, curvier her from months back; their heavy passion hung in the air, rapidly filling the room and slipping into the hallway. His fingers dug into Rose's waist and lifted her up, and he limped to their bed, ignoring the near-breathtaking pain shooting up his injured leg.

Jack gently laid her down on the thrown-back covers, his lips moving from hers to her bare neck. Her breath hitched in her throat, and her hands glided from Jack's head to his chest underneath his shirt, remembering now how much she missed the feeling of his skin under her fingertips.

They soon both tugged the other's clothes off and threw them to the floor below the mattress. A hint of self-consciousness nibbled at the edge of Rose's mind—her bones were sticking out _everywhere, _threatening to rip open her skin; she knew her eyes were dark and sunken in her skull—but she shoved the thoughts away and threw herself into the moment, drowning in Jack's musky scent and letting him surround her.

Hours melted away like seconds, but neither wanted to let go just yet, not until the black sky outside the window began to lighten up as the Mother Earth stirred from her sleep.

It was the best love they had ever made.


	23. Forever

**This is the last chapter, you guys! :( Let me just say that I have loved every second of writing this since I started it as therapy after a breakup in May, haha. I have loved publishing each chapter and then waking up to emails about reviews and favorited story/author. I love all of my readers && reviewers so incredibly much, and I want to thank every one of ya'll for reading and keeping up with this story. Enjoy this last chapter, everyone, and if you want to read more from me, I recently started _Just Like_ Heaven, which I will be throwing myself into since _LMBWY _is over.**

**Happy reading, everyone! I hope you like this last chapter! **

It was as if nothing had ever happened, as if their love had never been punctured and began to deflate. They woke up the next day at dusk in each other's arms, the feeling of their skin touching enough to just gently set them back into place where they belonged. All of the tears and arguments and silent, heavy nights were long gone, distant memories even though it was as recent as the previous morning.

The only reminders that something had happened was Jack's crutches, Rose's ribs, and the carpet stain in the living room.

But everything turned on a dime; Rose set out for the park the following morning and photographed the beautiful orange Santa Monica sunrise. Her old customers immediately snapped them up that afternoon, and it became a daily habit of traveling around the city at dawn to take pictures. She bought herself a twenty-four pack of Dr. Pepper and downed it in only three days, and after about a month of eating her beloved grease-filled, fat-saturated junk food, she was up to normal weight again.

And as for Jack, two weeks after their first love-making session in what seemed like years, he traded his crutches in for a cane and picked up art once more. The little apartment's walls were soon covered in drawings of Rose—smiling, sleeping, sitting in the bathtub, posing nude on the bed. The empty silence that had occupied the rooms now echoed with laughter and music and the scratching of Jack's pencils on paper as he sketched. He hardly felt pain in his leg anymore, and Rose hardly thought of Cal anymore.

It came and went sometimes, but it never lasted long.

And the ring—the ring was forgotten about.

By Rose, at least.

* * *

It was the evening of April fourteenth when Jack closed the bedroom door behind him and propped his cane against the wall, a nervous smile spreading across his face. Rose gave him a curious stare as she pulled a miniature Christmas tree out of the closet and plugged it into the wall; the ends of its fake branches lit up with shades of purple, red, blue, and yellow, throwing bright colors around the room like a strobe light. She retrieved six presents wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper—some with cartoon penguins, some with Santa, some with ornamented trees—and set them around the little tree, giggling to herself.

Since Jack was still recovering from the gunshot and Rose's mental health was withering away, they missed Christmas and wanted to celebrate it because it would be the first time they spent the holiday together. Rose plopped her butt onto the carpet and Jack slowly lowered himself to the floor as well, wincing as he bent the knee of his hurt leg.

"Merry Christmas, my love," Rose murmured, breaking into a big smile. "I love you."

"I love you."

They both reached for their presents—three for each—and tore into them; multicolored wrapping paper flew into the air and landed all over the room, littering the floor and the bed, and grunts erupted out of their throats as they struggled to rip open tightly-taped boxes; and finally, gasps of surprise filled the bedroom when their eyes took in their gifts.

Jack received a new sketchpad, a Metallica hoodie, and the fourth season of Supernatural on DVD; Rose got a Slayer t-shirt, a stuffed giraffe, and a medium-sized box that Jack demanded that she opened last.

She looked into his eyes, fumbling with the box, silently asking for his permission.

He nodded, his heart picking up speed.

Her fingers easily tore through the tape on this one, and she lifted up the flaps to find a navy-colored jewelry box resting on top of bubble wrap.

She knew exactly what it was.

* * *

The air was heavy with summer heat, but no one noticed as they took their places at the makeshift altar in the park because the tall trees provided them with a bit of shade. Bruce and Nina, Jack's parents, grinned at each other from across the stone path separating them; Ruth, Rose's mother, patted Nina's hand and couldn't help smiling herself; Tommy and Fabrizio stood beside Bruce, nearly jumping with excitement; and Lea, Rose's best friend, clapped her hands together like a seal, tearing up already before the couple even made it to the altar.

Jack ambled up the stone path without his cane, smiling so hard his cheeks throbbed. He waved at his groomsmen and his fiancée's bridesmaids as he took his place in front of the judge, his blood rushing in his veins and his skin alive with jittery sparks.

Centuries passed before the clacking of heels against rock found his ears, and he jerked his head to the left to see his bride strolling up the path in a flowing white gown, her pretty face hidden behind a thin veil and her hands clutching a bouquet of pink roses. She smiled at her groom as she came to stand in front of him, butterflies flapping wildly in her stomach.

The day was finally here.

Rose knew the first time she kissed him that she would want to spend her life with him; Jack knew the second he saw her that he would make her his wife.

And now it was finally happening, and neither of them could believe it.

They repeated the vows after the judge spoke them, tears running down both of their faces, and embraced the cold touch of the metal rings being slipped onto their fingers; and then the judge stared at Jack with lit up eyes, revealing his teeth in a big smile.

"Mr. Dawson, you may now kiss your bride."

Jack's shaking hands reached forward and lifted the veil over Rose's red curls, his lips brushing against hers and officially making them husband and wife.

Husband and wife.

Rose pulled away, using one hand to wipe away her joyous tears, and gazed into Jack's crystal blue eyes, the eyes that she had fallen in love with so long ago.

"I love you, Jack."

"I love _you_, Rosaline."

The bridesmaids and groomsmen erupted into cheers, even quiet Ruth, her yelling, in fact, being the loudest.

Jack leaned forward, pressing his lips against Rose's cheek, and whispered in her ear.

"Look how far we've come, Mrs. Dawson."

_Mrs. Dawson. _The only thing she loved more than the sound of that was Mr. Dawson himself.

Her mind screamed their names over and over again, her heart fluttering each time she thought of her last name.

_Jack and Rose Dawson._

**The End**


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